Laxus and Lucy Ship Week 2017
by LovelyLovelyLove
Summary: March 6th-12th. Masquerade. War. Tears. Protect. Summer. Falling. Father. (Rated M for a reason)
1. Ship Week Info!

_**Laxus and Lucy Ship Week 2017.**_

 **March 6** **th** **-12** **th**

 **Day 1: Masquerade**

 **Day 2: War**

 **Day 3: Tears**

 **Day 4: Protect**

 **Day 5: Summer**

 **Day 6: Falling**

 **Day 7: Father**

 **}{}{}{**

 **I feel like this is a bad idea, but I've decided to participate!**

 **I'm almost finished with Day 1!**

 **Let me know if anyone else is participating, because I want to read them!**


	2. Masquerade

**This is my take on the first prompt of the week! This is post Tartaros, right after the guild reforms. At first I was going to do the usual masquerade ball, but then my brain was all, "Hey, those are great. But it's expected. You are doing something different, and you have no say in the matter. You're welcome."**

 **So…**

 **Day 1: Masquerade**

Like lightning, it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

A radiant smile completely erasing its existence.

The first time he saw it, he was certain it was just a trick of the light.

It had to be.

There was just no way it had been there in the first place.

}{}{}{

The second time he saw it, he paused.

He studied her face, memorizing each miniscule detail. Each freckle. Every curve and slope.

It left just as quickly as it had the first time, but now he was doubting his earlier resolve.

He saw no sign that it had ever been there, but he knew it had been.

He would just have to watch closer from now on.

}{}{}{

It was the third time he saw it that it really registered what exactly he was seeing.

That look of utter anguish. Sadness. Pain. Self-loathing. Guilt. Exhaustion.

It was wrong. Oh so totally wrong. A look like that did not belong on the face of sunshine and hope personified.

She was the walking talking embodiment of what this guild stood for.

So why, what could have possibly happened to make such a woman wear that expression, even for just a single moment?

He didn't know, but he knew he wouldn't be able to let go until he figured it out.

}{}{}{

So he followed her.

It had been a normal, average, typical day at Fairy Tail.

He'd watched her throughout the entire day, uncaring if his team thought he'd finally lost his damn mind.

They would understand, he knew, if he would just explain it to them. They would even try to help.

But he didn't.

He just had to find out a little more. Confirm that what he was seeing wasn't some kind of huge misunderstanding before he told them anything.

So when the day ended, and she bid her friends a good night, he rose from his seat and followed her.

His team protested, stating they should go with him in case he needed their help. But he wouldn't have it. He needed stealth, and Mavis knew his team were not exactly the quietest bunch.

They bickered and argued with each other about the most trivial things on an hourly basis.

Striding out of the guild's doors, he kept a steady pace that insured he wouldn't lose her, but also wouldn't close the distance between them and risk her noticing he was there.

After a few moments he realized that following from behind was stupid, as he couldn't see her face. Grumbling internally, he took to the rooftops and sprinted so that he was just slightly in front of her.

The large man clung to the shadows, thankful for his enhanced senses.

And then he saw it happen.

It didn't matter that he had seen it three times already.

As soon as she was blocks from the guild, her face crumbled.

It broke him in a way he wasn't expecting, and didn't fully understand.

Her smile faltered, turning into an almost grimace before pulling down into a deep frown.

Large amber eyes, usually filled with endless warmth and light, flickered out and darkened into murky pools.

Her shoulders slumped, as if the weight she'd been carrying on them had become too heavy to burden for even a second longer.

He'd seen it before, but now he realized that they were merely glimpses.

The full effect, watching it all fall apart in front of him, was something in a league of its own.

His feet rooted to the spot, eyes wide and mouth parted, as he was bombarded with a flurry of emotions.

Shock and anger, this rage that came out of nowhere, and sadness and shame.

Shock from the raw pain he'd never really seen in a person before.

Anger, white hot rage that burned through his veins. At whoever caused his nakama such grief, and at himself for not doing anything to stop it.

Sadness that it had to be _her._ Out of all of the people in this world, it had to be the one woman who shined brighter than the rest in his eyes. The one woman who made him feel like there was some hope left in this world. The one he'd loved _so fucking much_ since the day he'd made the biggest mistake of his life by hurting his family. It had to be _her,_ to be hurt in such a way to bring that look of despair upon her face.

Shame that it had taken this long for him to notice.

}{}{}{

It had become a habit of his, to follow her home.

He was starting to believe that he was becoming somewhat of a masochist.

Why did he keep doing this to himself if he didn't, somewhere really fucking deep inside of him, enjoy the pain it brought him somehow?

For weeks he followed her home from the guild, only staying long enough to watch that mask of hers crumble.

And that's exactly what it was.

A mask.

A masquerade.

She plastered this happy I'm-perfectly-fine mask on her face every single day.

And it stunned him that no one else noticed.

How had no one noticed?

How had it taken him this long to notice?

}{}{}{

"Follow me and for the love of Mavis, keep quiet."

"Laxus, what exactly are we doing up here?" Freed asked quietly.

Laxus bit back an exasperated groan, deeply regretting ever thinking that showing his team what he'd discovered was a good idea.

A familiar scent carried through the air and up under his sensitive nose from the slight breeze of the calm summer night and he tensed, pulling Freed and Bickslow into a crouch with him. Evergreen dropped on her own as soon as she saw the look on his face. They'd been teammates long enough for her to know when he'd scented something.

"Is that Cosplayer?" Bix whispered, perplexed.

The large blonde simply nodded.

"Pay attention to her face."

The three mages beside him traded puzzled expressions before locking on to the blonde bombshell's heart-shaped face.

As soon as she passed the same spot she always did, which happened to be fairly close to where they were couching above her, it happened.

"Holy shit."

}{}{}{

"Gramps, I'm telling you. Something is going on!" He all but shouted.

The deceptively tiny master of Fairy Tail gazed at him as he sat cross-legged on top of his cluttered desk.

"Just how certain are you, boy? Because matters such as this, personal inquisitions, are not to be taken lightly."

Laxus grit his teeth in frustration. "We've already been over this. My team can even back me up on this. I know what I saw. What I've seen many times now."

Makarov took a puff of his tabaco pipe and hummed in thought.

"Well then, it's settled."

Laxus looked at his grandfather in confusion. "What is settled?"

"I'm leaving this up to you. Think of it as a mission of sorts. Your job is to find and mend the problem, with discretion. Meaning word of this does not reach the rest of the guild. Think you can handle it?"

In that moment, he really had to question the old man's sanity. His grandfather knew better than most that Laxus wasn't the greatest when it came to emotions. He could hardly handle his own, much less some else's.

But…this was for her. Even if they would never become more, for all he did to her and all he didn't do, he owed her this much.

"Ok. I'll do it."

}{}{}{

It had been days of brainstorming with his team, and yet he still couldn't figure out how to approach her.

He was afraid, terrified really, of screwing this up.

But it was getting worse, _she_ was getting worse. Her mask was slipping more frequently, and he'd heard whispers around the guild. They were getting concerned, and being as nosy as they were, they were going to confront her about it soon.

He couldn't let that happen. This was _his_ job. And he couldn't see how making it such a public thing would help anything.

One day, about a week later, he snapped. He couldn't wait any longer. Despite not having a plan, he was diving in head first, hoping for the best outcome.

He followed her like usual, but from behind on the road this time.

When she reached the usual spot where her façade fell away, he rushed up behind her and spun her around.

She shrieked in surprise, throwing a fist out to her attacker, but blinked up at him when he caught it with ease.

"Laxus? What the hell are you doing? You scared the crap out of me!" She scolded with anger.

He faltered for a moment, not really having any idea what he was doing. "U-um, sorry about that."

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded with a small smile, and he saw it.

Her mask slowly slipping back into place.

"Well, alright then. I've got to get ho-"

"Stop."

His voice was low, almost dangerous but not quite.

"What?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Just stop." He almost pleaded.

Big brown eyes blinked at him owlishly. "What are you talking about? Stop what, Laxus?"

Grip tightening on her shoulders a bit, he searched her gaze. She was so much smaller than him. Delicate where he was large and sturdy. Her chocolate gaze glittered under the lacrima street lamps, as did her flowing golden blonde locks.

He just wanted to wrap himself around her. Shield her from whatever pain was inflicting her. But he couldn't. A woman like her would never let a man do such a thing. None of the women in the guild would, actually. They were a league of their own. Equally as, if not more so, terrifying than the men.

But all of that was beside the point, and he was taking too long to respond.

"Stop pretending."

She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held firm. "But I'm not pretending."

Laxus sighed. "Don't lie to me, Blondie. I can see it."

Visibly flinching, she doubled her efforts of escaping. "You can't see anything because there's nothing to see. Now let me go!"

Desperate to get through to her, he pulled her into his chest, whispering into her ear. "Something is hurting you, Lucy. You don't have to pretend anymore."

As the words sunk in, she sagged against him, deep sobs ripping from her.

"I-I'm n-n-not hiding an-anything. I'm n-not." She cried in between sobs, and he was unsure if she was trying to convince him, or herself.

So he simply scooped her up and followed her scent trail to her apartment.

Walking up the steps and to her door, he couldn't help but shake his head. Of course she didn't lock her door. And while it made this situation a little easier, it was a risky thing for someone who was kidnapped as often as she was. He would have to talk to her about it later.

By the time he was seated on her pink sofa, situating them so she was resting in his lap, the blonde's sobs had reduced to small sniffles and the occasional hiccup. Her legs hung off one side of his lap, her hands fisted loosely into his shirt, while her head was tucked under his chin.

Laxus smoothed his hand over her hair and down her back. He was at a crossroads.

This was a mission given to him by his gramps, and Fairy Tail wizards always completed the mission no matter what. And he really wanted to figure this out to sate his own curiosity.

But he couldn't bring himself to push her.

She was obviously so very broken up about something, and if it caused her this much pain to just admit to someone else that something was wrong, he didn't want to even picture how hard it would be for her to tell him what had happened.

Still, he couldn't help but ask.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He whispered quietly.

Crying women were never his strong suit. He often was left awkwardly stumbling over words and actions just to get them to stop. But this time, for whatever reason, he felt calm. He felt as though he _had_ to be calm for her, since she was so clearly a mess of unbridled emotion.

Lucy sniffled. "I-I don't know if I can." Her voice was hoarse and raspy, thick from her tears.

He traced his thumb over her back in small, soothing circles. "Just try your best."

She was quiet for a few moments, but even though he couldn't see her face, he knew she was sorting through her thoughts.

The small blonde cleared her throat. "I don't think I can talk about it out loud just yet, but I can show you?"

Laxus nodded with a small smile. He wasn't sure how or what she would be showing him, but he would take whatever he could get.

She wiggled in his lap, and he let go of her just enough so she could sit back and be face-to-face.

His brows shot to his hairline as she reached in between her breasts.

Confused, he tried not to focus on the hand in her cleavage, instead focusing on her slender neck.

That was when he noticed the delicate gold chain that lead to where she was reaching.

He watched as she pulled out her hand, fingers wrapped tightly around whatever was hanging from the chain. Her eyes clenched shut and she drew in a shuddering breath, before pulling the chain off of her neck and holding her enclosed hand out to him.

The large blonde unwound his arm from her waist and grasped the object. It felt cool against his fingers, smooth, yet jagged at one end. The jagged end was actually fairly sharp, and could cause harm if pressed too hard against his flesh.

' _She was wearing something this sharp around her neck? She could have hurt herself, if she hasn't already.'_ He thought to himself, before opening his hand and glancing down.

And then he understood.

To an extent, anyway.

There, in his open palm, was one of her keys. Well, part of one.

It was no longer the shining gold of the other Zodiac keys at her hip. Instead, it was dull, almost to the point of looking like a dirty bronze. And it was broken.

Laxus didn't know much about Celestial Spirit mages, but he knew how deeply the trembling blonde in his lap cherished her Spirits.

He had heard her scold guild mates time and time again, that they should never be treated like tools or objects. They were her friends. Her family. Listening to her talk about them from across the guild was one of his favorite things to do. He could _feel_ the love she had for them with every word she spoke. From how he watched her treat them.

His heart ached for her as he thought of what this could possibly mean.

"Is…" He trailed off, unsure of how to ask about it.

Lucy shook her head, understanding what he was asking, eyes still clenched shut. A few tears managed to escape, gliding down her still damp cheeks. "N-no. Her gate is closed. P-permanently."

Casting one last glance to the broken key in his hand, he gently pulled her back to rest against his chest.

This was more serious than he thought. He still didn't know how or why, but he wasn't going to push for anymore explanations. Not tonight. Not until she was ready.

And as the Dragon Slayer held the broken blonde in his arms well into the night, he could only hope that this would be the start.

She had taken off her mask, ended the masquerade, just for him.

So maybe, just maybe, she would continue to let him in. Let him be there.

Even if all they'd ever be was friends. That was fine.

Just as long as he could be there.

 **Kinda sappy, and angsty as all hell. But oh well.**

 **Tomorrow's prompt will be just plain old sad, so prepare yourselves for that.**

 **See you guys tomorrow for Day 2: War!**

 **Also, please let me know if you are participating so I can read yours as well!**


	3. War

**I had a different author's note up here, but I felt like something needed to be shared.**

 **This is unlike anything I've ever written, and that's because it was a good friend of mine's idea.**

 **She** _ **really really**_ **wanted me to write this, so I did.**

 **Unfortunately, she died this past weekend before she could read it.**

 **Suicide is no joke. It takes the people the LEAST expected. She showed no signs. Had goals and plans for her future. She even had a tattoo appointment set up for next week. It just happens sometimes.**

 **So what I'm asking of all of you readers, is to just hug the ones you care about a little bit more today. Remind them that they're important to you, ok?**

 **Without further ado, I give you my take on the second day of Laxus and Lucy ship week 2017.**

 **This one is for you, Kia. I'll miss you.**

 **Day 2: War.**

 _Dear mom,_

 _I think it might be starting._

 _When I was little I remember playing with you every day. We would chase each other in the gardens for hours, tickling and rolling around. Our dresses would always get so dirty, and father would get so angry when we'd come back inside covered in grass stains and dirt. That never stopped us though. Those were my favorite times._

 _But then you started to tire too easily. I remember that you would try to play with me as long as you could. How long you were able grew smaller and smaller, until one day you just couldn't at all. So we would read together. Have tea parties. That was when you really started preparing me to take your keys. I realize this now. You wanted to make sure I knew all that I needed to before you couldn't teach me anymore._

 _Thank you for that._

 _Then the breathing fits started. I remember being so scared. You would start coughing and coughing nonstop until you couldn't breathe. Mavis, it was terrifying. There was nothing to do about it but wait until it passed._

 _I was so young, but I remember every little change in you._

 _I think it was because you were my whole world. Father was always working, joining us in playing on the rare occasion. But you and I did everything together._

 _I cherished all of it._

 _Soon, you grew pale and thin. Food never stayed down long. I know you tried to hide it, the retching, but I could hear it sometimes from your room._

 _Not too long after that, you gave me your keys. You told me you were planning on passing them down to me at my age, but I knew the truth. You couldn't summon them anymore. I saw the sad looks shared between you and the Spirits when I would summon them._

 _Eventually, you couldn't stand for long periods of time before you got dizzy. You stayed seated, until you couldn't even do that. You would sleep throughout the day, but when you were awake we would cuddle under the blankets. We would read, or gossip, tell silly stories, giggling like mad until our sides ached._

 _But then, you died._

 _I will never forget that day._

 _A maid woke me in the middle of the night, saying you wanted to talk to me. And I just knew. I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that you were leaving me, and I remember refusing to let myself cry._

 _We cuddled together for hours. I knew you were trying not to cry. You told me about finding love one day, and how a man should treat me. You told me that life would get hard sometimes, but that it would always get better. You said to always forgive, but to never forget. That people always deserved a second chance. You told me to show kindness to everyone I meet, to love my Spirits with all of my heart and to treat them with respect. I knew what it was, mama. You were saying goodbye. I took in every word you spoke, memorizing everything because I never wanted to forget a single word you said. You gave me so many kisses, and held me close until I started to get tired. I wanted to stay, but you had a maid take me back to my room so I could sleep. I looked at you the entire time I walked away, ingraining every part of your smiling face to memory. I watched you until the door shut between us._

 _You were gone before I even woke up._

 _I remember the signs. Every stage you went through, and I think it's happening to me, just like it did to you._

 _Two weeks ago I woke up and I was so tired all day. I thought I was just coming down with something, but it hasn't gone away. I haven't told anyone about it, especially not my team or Natsu. Oh, Natsu. I can't tell him, mama. Any of them._

 _But I can't turn down missions with them forever. Rent is due soon._

 _I guess Mavis only knows how this will go._

 _Love always, Lucy._

}{}{}{

Lucy placed the empty mug in her sink to be washed later, before slipping on her knee-high boots and heading out the door.

Coffee was only helping so much.

She was just so tired. Not the usual drowsiness that comes from not sleeping enough, either. It was a weariness that seeped down into her bones, making her limbs feel a bit too heavy.

Trying to keep some sort of normalcy while she still could, the small blonde jumped up to balance along the rail of the canal.

"Careful, Miss Lucy! Don't fall in!" The fishermen called out to her as they sailed past on their boat.

Sending them a bright smile, she waved to them. "I won't! Have a great day, guys!"

They wished her the same, before she jumped from the rail back down to the cobblestone street.

The world felt like it shifted slightly, and she stumbled back a step to hold on to the railing. She felt a little winded, as if she had been running instead of only walking and balancing.

Closing her eyes as she waited for the vertigo to pass, she sighed.

It was definitely happening, it had to be. There weren't any doubts in her mind.

The vertigo passed, but she remained still a little longer just to be sure. The last thing she needed was to eat the pavement.

"The hell are you doing, Blondie?" A gruff voice suddenly spoke, and she almost jumped right out of her skin.

Her eyes snapped open, and a hand flew to her racing heart.

An incredibly tall and muscular man was standing a few feet in front of her. He had foregone his usual fur coat due to the Magnolia summer heat, and was wearing a dark purple shirt. The sleeves looked as though they had been torn off, exposing his large arms that were crossed over his wide chest. He was still wearing his usual black dress pants and combat boots.

"Mavis, Laxus! You scared the crap out of me." The smaller blonde scolded, chocolate eyes narrowed in slight annoyance.

His stormy blue eyes just looked amused, however, and he smirked. "Maybe I wouldn't have scared you if you hadn't been just standing there with your eyes closed in the middle of the street."

Feeling the blush creep up her cheeks, Lucy huffed and stomped past him.

He caught up to her easily. "Tch. Don't be like that."

Refusing to look at him, she clasped her hands behind her back. "Like what? I'm just walking to the guild, Laxus."

"Mhm."

They were finally right in front of the guild doors when he placed a large hand on her shoulder and leaned in close.

His hot breath tickled her ear and sent goosebumps rippling down her arms.

"See you later, Blondie." The Dragon Slayer smirked smugly at her flustered face, before straightening and striding into the guild.

It took her longer than she would freely admit to shake herself free from her daze. Her movements faltered as the world tilted slightly and she clutched a hand to her forehead.

The feeling dissipated quicker than it had the last time, and she plastered a smile on her face before entering the guild.

Hearing her team before she saw them, she dodged a flying table and weaved her way through her nakama. They were all sitting together, Gray and Natsu leaning over the table to get into each other's faces.

"What was that, you flame freak?"

"You heard exactly what I said, slush-for-brains!"

The petite blonde waited for the redheaded knight to smash their heads together before she finally took her seat next to Natsu.

"Hey guys!" She chirped.

Erza's face was stern, but her hazel eyes were soft. "Good morning, Lucy. You look tired. Did you not sleep well?"

Ah, nothing really ever got past Erza.

Lucy forced her smile not to falter, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. "No, I accidentally stayed up too late reading again."

The redhead sighed. "Will you be able to participate in a team mission this afternoon?"

With that, she paused. Should she be doing missions right now? She was rather exhausted.

But she knew that she needed to do this while she still could. Her magic wouldn't remain stable for long, and she needed all of the time with her Spirits that she could get.

Let's not forget about rent.

So, she nodded, pasting on a cheerful smile. "Of course! I'll just grab some coffee from Mira and then I'll be good as new!"

Seeing as Natsu and Gray were still in their post-Erza-smack daze, she wouldn't bother with greeting them until she returned from the bar. If they had recovered by then, anyway.

As soon as Erza nodded approvingly, Lucy rose from her seat and made her way to the bar.

Feeling a little lightheaded when she got there, she took a seat.

"Hello, Lucy. You want your usual?" The silver-haired barmaid asked brightly.

Shaking her head with a smile, she rested her head on her hand. "Actually, I could really use some coffee right now."

Mira looked oddly at her for a moment, before her usual exuberance returned. "Of course! I'll bring it right out."

The blonde thanked her, laid some jewel on the counter, and then turned in her seat to gaze around the guild while she waited.

Her heart skipped a beat when she met a pair of stormy blue eyes.

Realizing he had been looking at her before she had looked at him, she rose a brow in question.

Not even missing a beat, the larger blonde shrugged, sending her a wink before he turned back to the conversation his team was having.

When Mira arrived with her coffee, Lucy took it with a blush and ignored her speculative glace, scurrying back to her team.

}{}{}{

It was later that evening, that reality hit her in the face. Well, more like arm.

She was sitting at the bar, drowning her misery in a large glass of red wine.

Her arm hurt, badly.

She had been too slow, during a moment of vertigo in the midst of battle. They had managed to corner the dark mages they were fighting when it happened. She was just about to shift into Taurus's Star Dress in her fight against one of the mages to defend herself against his Earth magic. Large boulders were flying at her from all sides, and she figured that she could bat them away with her battle axe.

But then the world had shifted, spinning at an odd angle. Leaving her wide open for a boulder to smash into her.

She vaguely remembered Natsu screaming her name when she didn't get back up, but all she could focus on was the white-hot searing pain in her arm and the way the world wouldn't stop tilting.

Her arm was definitely broken, but with Wendy gone on an extended job for over a week, she would have to deal with the normal healing process.

Times like these really made her realize how much they all depended on the little bluenette. Whenever someone was hurt, she always fixed them right up without hesitation.

She then realized that she would have to let her arm, and any other future injuries, naturally. If Wendy healed her for anything, she would sense the disease with her magic.

Lucy downed the rest of her wine in one go.

There would be no 'fixing her up'. She knew from her conversations with the Sky Dragon Slayer that healing illnesses were a lot more complicated than healing an injury. Her ability to cure them depended solely on if it was a temporary problem.

But that wasn't the case with this. She knew that this was more than a one-time issue.

Her body was at war with itself. Cells were attacking other healthy cells and important tissue. And it would only get worse.

She signaled for another drink, whiskey this time.

Her body would try to fight back, reclaim its territory, but the abnormal cells multiplied too quickly. It was a fast moving disease.

Her mother had only lasted six months.

"What's with the long face?" A gruff voice snapped her out of her downwardly spiraling thoughts, and she realized that her glass was already empty.

Signaling for another, the small blonde sighed and glanced to the man sitting next to her.

"Just a bit stressed." She said curtly, thanking Kinana for the drink when she handed it to her.

The larger blonde looked at her for a moment before saying the last thing she ever expected him to say.

"Go to dinner with me."

She nearly choked on her drink, staring at him with wide eyes. "Huh?"

He sighed, staring into her eyes with a look she'd never seen on his face before.

He was still a bit reserved. She knew he never opened up much, so it was to be expected, but he seemed a bit gentler somehow. Genuine.

"You heard me. Why don't we have dinner together? Just you and me."

She blinked at him owlishly. "L-like a date?"

Laxus rolled his eyes, but nodded nonetheless.

Lucy wasn't sure if it was the drinks she'd had, or what. Maybe it was the desperateness she felt for love that was always shoved down, buried and never examined.

She knew she shouldn't. That it could never be more than just a date.

But she did.

"Alright, Laxus."

}{}{}{

Their date was scheduled for the following Friday.

Lucy couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Each day she found that the coffee wasn't doing nearly as much as it had in the beginning. But she tried. She really did.

She was going to bed as soon as she got home every night, unable to muster the energy to do anything other than change and pass out.

There were bags under her eyes, and makeup only hid so much.

As Friday rolled around, she hoped with all of her heart that he didn't notice.

He noticed.

"Wow, you kinda look like shit."

Unable to resist, she smacked his arm. Hard.

He seemed to catch himself, as barely noticeable pink dusted his cheeks and he started stumbling over his words. "Uh, I didn't mean that! I meant to say tired. You actually look really nice. Just tired. Sorry, I really di-"

And then she laughed.

Who was she to be offended? She knew she looked like crap, so what did it matter?

But this, the sight of Laxus fucking Dreyar stumbling through apologies, was something she never thought she'd ever see.

It was adorable.

Lucy rested a small hand on his shoulder, smiling genuinely for the first time in weeks. "Let's go on a date, Laxus."

He smiled and grabbed her hand.

}{}{}{

One date turned into two, then four, then it was six, and suddenly they were a couple.

How it happened, she honestly had no clue.

She shouldn't be doing this, being so selfish. She couldn't start a relationship when it wouldn't last even a year. When she wouldn't last even a year.

She was getting worse.

It had been almost three months since the symptoms started. She was still tired and getting dizzy spells. Jobs were getting harder. Hiding this was getting harder.

Natsu already knew something was wrong. She'd catch him watching her, an odd look on his face. But he never brought it up. For that, she was thankful.

Trying to hide this from Laxus, now _that_ was exhausting.

He was almost always around. Every spare moment he had, he spent by her side.

They were walking back from dinner, hand in hand. He was escorting her home, when all of a sudden vertigo hit her. Hard.

She lost her footing and went careening to the side, her free hand pressed to her head.

She would have fallen, but he reacted fast, pulling her by the hand he was holding into his arms.

"Lucy! Are you ok?" The Dragon Slayer asked worriedly.

She forced herself to smile, giggling when he adjusted her in his strong arms. "Y-yeah. I think the wine just caught up to me."

Stormy blue eyes watched her for a moment longer, before he chuckled and continued walking with her cradled in his arms.

"Little drunkard." He teased.

Feigning a pout, she slapped his chest lightly and he just laughed.

Laxus carried her all the way to her apartment, even when the world righted itself and she said she was fine to walk beside him.

The pout on her lips was genuine this time as he ignored her protests. He carried her up the steps, unlocked her door, and sat her on the couch.

She crossed her arms under his chest, glowering at him despite the pink dusting her cheeks and the affection in her eyes. "You didn't have to do that."

The Dragon slayer merely smiled at her, bending over at the waist from where he stood before her so that their faces were only inches apart.

"I know." He breathed, his breath ghosting across her lips. "But I wanted to."

Chocolate gazed into stormy blue, completely mesmerized by the sheer adoration found in them.

"Oh." Was all she could muster.

The couple stayed that way for a few moments, neither realizing that the space between them was closing until his nose brushed against hers.

They had shared many kisses before, some sweet and gentle. Some were heated and impassioned.

But this one was different.

There was this intense _need_ blooming within her every time their lips crashed together. The need for what, she wasn't sure. She only knew that she wanted more of him. _Needed_ more.

Her slender fingers carded through his thick blonde locks at the nape of his neck, tightening their hold when his tongue slid across her lower lip.

He growled, and suddenly she was airborne. Large hands cupped her ass, mouths never disconnecting, as he carried her to her room.

A gasp parted her lips, and he didn't hesitate to tangle their tongues together.

As her back hit the mattress, she couldn't think of anything else but this large hands sliding down her body.

She wasn't thinking about the disease.

She wasn't the girl with the expiration date.

She felt like she was just _Lucy_.

She felt loved.

}{}{}{

It started as a tickle in the back of her throat, and she noticed it as soon as she awoke one morning.

Laxus had just left for the guild after a night spent tangled together beneath the sheets.

She was torn with how she felt.

The past three and a half months with him at her side had been the best times in her life. Without a doubt, she loved him.

But she shouldn't. _Couldn't_.

She shouldn't be leading him on like this. He hadn't said it yet, that he loved her, but she could feel that it was coming soon.

Lucy knew she had to end it. Before he told her how he felt.

She had to stop it before he felt any more for her. The guilt was tearing her apart knowing that they would never last.

Her end was nearing.

But she loved it. Mavis, how she loved _him_. She loved feeling so loved. And she never wanted it to end.

Lucy sighed, stepped out of the shower, and wrapped her hair up in a towel and her body in another.

Clearing her throat, she studied her reflection after wiping the fogged up mirror.

Her chocolate brown eyes were slightly bloodshot, but she hoped another cup or two of coffee would clear it up. Under her bloodshot eyes were the bags that were getting harder to conceal with makeup. The tan that she had always somewhat prided herself on was faded, leaving her skin an almost sickly pale.

In short, she looked awful.

With a sigh, she skillfully applied her makeup, making sure to keep in natural looking. While she did enjoy a bolder look when she was going out or if there was a party, she preferred a more natural look.

The blonde just didn't see the sense in applying darker, easier to notice if smudged, colors when her profession was something so physical.

Clearing her throat once more, she slipped on a pair of black leggings along with a light blue baby-doll tee. As she pulled the towel from her damp hair, she started to feel winded. Like she had just finished sprinting a decent distance. Closing her eyes, she tried to even out her breathing, but the amount of air her lungs would take in was becoming less and less.

At this point, the small blonde was wheezing, lungs burning in desperate need for more oxygen. She slid to the floor, hands grasping her shirt over her chest, when the tickle in the back of her throat became considerably worse.

It was so uncomfortable, she couldn't help cough a little in a vain attempt to relieve the itch-like feeling.

That was a mistake.

As soon as she coughed, her lungs seized, not allowing her to take in the air she had just expelled.

Violent, body wracking coughs came in forceful waves. She was vaguely aware of the tears streaming down her face as she hacked and sputtered on her bathroom floor.

Just as little black dots began forming in her vision, the vice constricting her lungs loosened.

Lucy sucked in air greedily, panting and sobbing as her breathing regulated itself.

It was a while before she was able to haul herself up on shaky limbs. She stumbled down the hall to her room, where she collapsed into a sobbing heap on her bed.

It was horrible. And it was only just starting.

This would get worse from here on out, and just knowing that this wasn't even the worst of it made her sob even louder.

She hadn't let herself cry over it yet, and she knew now that it was a mistake. Because now it was all rushing back to her, these months of avoiding her emotions, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

As her cries echoed through her little apartment, she knew that she had to pull herself together eventually. Laxus would come looking for her when he noticed she still hadn't arrived.

Laxus.

Rolling on to her side, she hugged her arms tightly around her waist.

All she wanted, right in that moment, was to be held in his arms while she cried over all of the things she would never be.

She had goals.

A vague plot of how she wanted her life to go.

She wanted to become an S-class.

She wanted to kick ass in the next Grand Magic Games, and show Fiore that she was a lot stronger than she was the last time she had competed.

She wanted to go on more adventures with her best friend. It was always more fun when she and Natsu were together. They were soul mates. Not the romantic kind, but the bond they shared was closer than siblings. He was her other half. What she lacked in her personality, he made up for it and vice versa.

She wanted to someday find a man and marry him. Now that she was with Laxus, she could see him filling that role.

She wanted to become a mother. She always had, and now she would never have that chance. Lucy would never experience bringing a life into the world that contained half of herself, and half of the man she loved.

The Heartfilia name would end with her.

And that terrified her more than she thought it would.

}{}{}{

 _Dear mom,_

 _He's starting to get suspicious._

 _It's been five months, and the breathing attacks are now coming daily._

 _By some miracle, I've been able to hide them from everyone._

 _Well, almost everyone._

 _Natsu snuck in through my window last week when Laxus wasn't here._

 _I was in the middle of scolding him for raiding my fridge again, when I felt an attack coming on. I tried to get him to leave before it got bad, but he wouldn't budge. Somehow, I managed to tell him not to go get Wendy and that I'd explain later._

 _The look on his face, mom. I tear up every time I picture it._

 _He was so scared, terrified, when I started wheezing. He brought me to the couch and sat with me, never letting go of my hand._

 _But when the coughing started, oh Mavis._

 _He looked… I don't even know how to put into words how he looked. Horror-stricken. Full of grief. I could tell he was feeling helpless, and angry with himself for not knowing how to help._

 _He held me the whole time._

 _He cried._

 _My obnoxious, rambunctious, fearless Natsu cried._

 _When it was over, he gently demanded answers._

 _I couldn't tell him the truth. Seeing how he reacted to just the coughing made me realize that the truth would devastate him._

 _So I told him it was just asthma. That I had it as a child, and I was having issues with it again, but that I was fine otherwise._

 _He promised not to tell anyone, because I said I'd be embarrassed, but that if it got worse I had to tell him right away._

 _Now, he's been watching me closely, and Laxus has noticed._

 _I can tell that it angers him, but now he's been watching me too._

 _I don't know how much longer I can hide this from everyone. Especially them._

}{}{}{

It was unfortunately on a date with Laxus that Lucy experienced a new symptom, one that she was not expecting in the least, nor was she aware that it was even possible.

It was nearing the six month mark, and her appetite was basically non-existent. She could only stomach small amounts of plain foods, maybe once or twice a day.

Her body was noticeably thinner, and she often caught some of her nakama sending her concerned looks. Mostly from Mira, Levy, Erza, Natsu, and Laxus. Evergreen, who had become like a sister to her since her and Laxus became a couple, never asked any questions other than a rather blunt "Are you pregnant?"

Lucy had blushed profusely, and gave her a truthful no. She never asked again, or asked what else was wrong, but the caring woman was constantly trying to find different foods for her in hopes that it would help. The blonde was grateful, because of her she found that she could keep down plain chicken and rice. It wasn't much, but it was filling enough so that she didn't feel as weak as she normally did. On a good day, she could add just a little bit of cheese, and that made her a lot happier than it should have.

Natsu watched her like a hawk. An overprotective hawk that only allowed her out of his sight when Laxus was around. He never told anyone about her attacks, but you could tell that he wanted to. He'd broken down over her refusing to see a doctor or Wendy, refusing to let anyone know anything at all. He'd gotten angry with her. He knew she was hiding more than just "asthma" and he was pissed that she wouldn't tell him.

He wouldn't let her join on missions. Instead, the little shit blackmailed her into letting him pay for her rent and groceries in return for his silence. Said that if she wasn't going to tell anyone the truth, the least she could do was let him help her in the only way he could.

She was reluctant, but eventually agreed. It warmed her heart, even, seeing how much he cared for her. Not only that, but she had been trying for _years_ to get him to pitch in on groceries, seeing that he ate most of it anyway.

Lucy had finally put her big girl panties on and confronted her Spirits, only to find out that they already knew. They had sensed it through their bond. She had summoned them one by one, saying their goodbyes then. Just in case she lost the ability to summon them before she had the chance. The blonde discussed her plans to give their keys to Yukino, and they'd all agreed. The other Celestial mage loved her Spirits and treated them as well as Lucy did, so they would be going to good hands.

The hardest goodbyes had been between Loke, Cancer, and Aquarius. While Cancer and Loke had been tearful, the mermaid had been _furious._ She had ranted and raved about how once again she was losing a Heartfilia to the same damn thing. She'd called her every name in the book, only to dissolve into a sobbing mess. Lucy stayed silent through the whole thing, knowing that the Spirit just needed to get it all out, and they'd held each other for as long as Lucy had been able to keep her gate open.

Laxus… was more subtle in his worry. The look he often got in his stormy blue eyes told her that he knew she wasn't telling him something important. The brute of a man was gentle with her, only giving in to his more heated desires when she asked for it. He hardly went on any jobs, and when he did they were short and close by, as if he was afraid something might happen if he got too far away from her. He was constantly by her side, had even witnessed a few of her attacks. She knew that he and Natsu discussed it behind her back, but she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed by it. It only showed how much they cared.

No. As much as she loved how gentile Laxus was being with her, she was also coming to hate it.

Lucy didn't like to be treated like delicate, easily shattered glass. That's why she'd run away from her old life in the first place. Honestly, she just wanted the normalcy of how he used to treat her. Not to say he used to treat her roughly, but he was more himself back then.

But she never voiced her annoyance. Not even once. Underneath all of the concern and knowingness, she could see the fear he was hiding in his eyes.

The dangerous, insanely powerful mage who defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints, was afraid.

In all this time, she still hadn't been able to end it between them. It was selfish, and she hated herself for it, but she didn't want to lose him. Even though he would end up losing her. Even though she knew that ending it would help spare him in the end.

What she wasn't expecting, was the depths of the feelings he had towards her.

The feelings he made perfectly clear the same night that everything she'd been hiding was unwillingly forced into the light.

They were having a picnic under the stars. The sky was clear and the moon was bright. Fireflies danced through the tall grass around them from where they sat together on a blanket, eating (what little she could) and laughing.

"Lucy." He said in a serious tone, after they had caught their breath from laughing over swapping ridiculous stories about their team's antics.

The Celestial mage wiped a tear of mirth from her eye, sobering at his sudden change in demeanor. "Yes, Laxus?"

She grew concerned when he didn't respond right away, simply gazing at her for a few moments.

The much larger blonde closed his eyes, ran a hand through his hair, and took a deep breath before facing her again.

She was slightly taken aback by the sheer determination in his stormy blue gaze.

Growing a bit nervous, she fiddled with the hem of her pale pink blouse while she waited for him to speak.

"Lucy." He started, voice firm and a bit louder than before. "I know we've only been dating for a little while, but I can't help what I feel or when I feel it."

His eyes never left hers, and she was sure he could hear how her heart started racing in her chest.

"You are…" He trailed off, a small smile curving his lips. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have never once been as happy as I have in the time we've been together. You make colors seem a bit brighter. You make laughter come a bit easier. You showed me it was possible to love someone more than anything else in this world. I can't picture a day without you in it. A future without you by my side."

Laxus shifted so that he was on one knee in front of her sitting form, revealing a small velvet box he'd taken from his front pocket. He opened the box, and her heart faltered for a moment before racing even faster than it had been.

A ring was nestled in pale blue silk. The band was silver, adorned with tiny round diamonds that framed a larger round diamond in the center. It was beautiful. Simple and pretty, and it glittered under the moonlight.

"So, what I'm asking you is this. Will you, Lucy Heartfilia, do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

An overwhelming urge to cry the word "yes" over and over flooded her entire being. She wanted nothing more to except his proposal, because she felt the same about him.

But then, the voice of reality slithered in, shattering her heart in one swift blow.

Emotions from each end of the spectrum waged a war in her heart, and for the first time since she'd gotten this disease, she wished it would have killed her right at the beginning.

Because if she could have just died right away, before she'd thoughtlessly agreed to date him, before they'd fallen hopelessly in love, before all of this, she could've spared him.

His life wouldn't have had to change at all.

He could have gone on and found another, a healthy woman who made him even happier than she did, and married her. He wouldn't have had to get hurt.

She knew she must have taken too long to respond, because the hopeful smile on his face fell.

Just as he closed the box and was about to slip in back into his pocket, her hand darted out to rest over his.

"Laxus, wait." Her voice was soft. It trembled as tears of hopelessness and guilt slid down her cheeks.

"What?" His voice was husky and deep, thick with emotion he was desperately trying to hide.

"There is nothing I want more in this world than to marry you."

His watery gaze met hers, and her heart broke a little more. He looked so dejected and _hurt_. She hated it.

She had done this.

"But…" His voice trailed off, so quiet it was almost a whisper.

"But I can't." Her small hand tightened around his large one. "I can't marry anyone. I shouldn't have even let this go on for so long. I-"

His hand ripped away from hers so hard, she almost fell flat on her face. Her head spun from the sudden movement, and her eyes shut only long enough to force the feeling back enough to keep upright. Her eyes snapped back open as his angry voice resounded through the secluded area.

"You _what_?! What is that supposed to mean?" Stormy blue eyes narrowed with the anger that was rolling off of him in almost palpable waves. "Are you saying that all this time, you've just been 'letting this go on'? Leading me on? Because it sounds to me like you're saying you've only been playing along."

Lucy sat there wide eyed, gazing at the seething Dragon Slayer that was glaring at her with so much rage. So much betrayal.

Her vision started getting hazy, and there was this pressure that was slowly building up in her head, but she pushed through it. She was desperate to get through to him.

"N-no! That's not it at all. Let me ex-"

"I don't want to hear it, _Blondie._ " He spat the word with so much venom it made her flinch. He never called her that anymore. Not since before he told her he loved her for the first time. "It doesn't even matter anymore, because we're _done_."

Just like that, he was turning away, leaving her.

 _He was leaving her_.

Panic gripped her heart and she surged to her feet to scramble after him.

"Laxus, wait!" She begged, her desperation choking her words. "Please!"

He was walking too fast and her vision was only getting worse. She couldn't see him anymore, other than the moon reflecting off of his bright blonde locks, and the pressure in her head was becoming almost unbearable.

But she couldn't even focus on that because she just couldn't let him leave.

A sob ripped from her throat, and she thought she saw his stride falter. Her pace sped up, desperate to get to him before he thought to lightning travel away.

In a second, faster than she could even register fully, it felt as though the pressure burst, and her body jerked once before dropping to the ground.

She tried to move, she really did, but her limbs refused to respond to her mental command. Even her mouth wouldn't so much as twitch.

The small blonde had no idea what was going on, but she wasn't given even a second to ponder it. Her vision went completely dark, and then came one of the worst experiences she has ever had.

Every muscle went completely rigid, before her entire body began convulsing violently. She was vaguely aware of what was happening outside of what was going on. She could still hear the crickets chirping, though they were muffled. As though there was cotton stuffed into her ears.

Lucy wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, but she only managed to choke out whimpers and whines through her painfully clenched jaw.

Through the chaos raging inside of her body, she thought she heard a shout of her name, before unconsciousness claimed her.

}{}{}{

The first things that Lucy registered were a continuous beeping noise, and warm pressure on one of her hands.

It took her longer than she liked, but she was eventually able to crack her eyes open.

Blinking blearily at the plain white walls, she tried to place her surroundings.

All at once, the memories of before she passed out flooded her mind, and her heart caught in her throat.

The beeping noise sped up in pace with her racing thoughts, until it hit her that it was a heart-rate monitor and that this was the guild's infirmary.

A new fear gripped her heart with its icy fingers and _squeezed_.

If she was here, then the guild knew. Because they would have called Wendy and one scan using her magic would tell her the truth.

She couldn't hide it anymore. Everyone would know. Nothing would be normal anymore, and that's all she really wanted. For everyone to be exactly how they always were. They would be sad. All because of her, her nakama would be sad.

One thing she couldn't figure out was how she got to the guild in the first place.

She was fairly certain that Laxus had been long gone when it all happened, so who found her and brought her here?

Probably Natsu.

A masculine grunt snapped her gaze to the right side of the cot she was laying in, only to gape in confusion at what she found.

Laxus was slouched in a chair he was way too large for. The top half of his body was resting on her cot, his large hand clutching hers in his sleep.

His face looked haggard and pale, his hair disheveled, and the same clothes he had been wearing on their date were wrinkled and frumpy.

It looked as though he had been there for a long time, and before she could really think about it, he grunted once more and slowly sat up.

His free hand rose to rub at his face, and his eyes opened blearily.

Chocolate met stormy blue, and as she opened her mouth to question his appearance, she was cut off by a fierce glare.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He growled.

Her voice caught in her throat.

"How could you keep this from me? From the guild?"

She looked away in shame, tears streaming down her cheeks, and she tried to pull her hand out of his grasp.

But he wouldn't let go.

Instead, his grip tightened and she looked at him in surprise, only to be completely caught off guard to find tears of his own slipping silently down his face.

It was then that she noticed how red and puffy his eyes were, as if he had been crying before now.

"How could you keep this from me, Lucy?" His voice was thick from his tears, cracking at her name, and he sounded so much like a broken child in that moment that her heart shattered all over again.

"I-I'm so s-sorry." She managed to force out.

He shook his head rapidly, pulling himself into her little cot and wrapping his large body around her, holding her tightly to him.

"No. I'm s-sorry. I should have n-noticed. I knew something was wrong, b-but I never questioned you. I sh-should have done something more. I'm sorr-"

"No, Laxus." She started, reigning in her emotions as best as she could and winding her arms around his neck. "There was no way for you to know. I'm the one who kept it to myself. I'm the one who dated you anyway, even though I knew I would d-die soon. I should be the one apologizing to you."

His nose was buried in her hair, and he was quiet for a moment before speaking in a whisper. "My proposal still stands, you know. I still want to marry you."

Lucy froze. "L-Laxus, no. I can't do that to you. I won't marry you, just to leave you shortly after."

His grip around her tightened, and his voice was filled with so much conviction that it left her in awe. "I would rather be married to you for even only a day, than to live the rest of my life never having you as my wife at all."

She laid there in his arms, completely stunned, so he continued.

"The old hag is here. She… she said that you have a m-month. Maybe two at most. Said that the… seizures, and the fact that your magic is depleting, even though you're not using it, will sp-speed up the process."

Lucy had already figured she didn't have much time. A month or two was actually more than she thought she would get.

"She just told me and Gramps last night, but Gramps announced it this morning."

 _THAT_ snapped her out of it.

"He what?!"

"Relax, Lucy. He thought it was passed due for our nakama to know."

Reluctantly, she agreed. They all deserved the truth.

"So, will you marry me?" He whispered in her ear.

The small blonde took a shuddering breath and clung to him tighter.

"Yes."

}{}{}{

Leave it to Mira to throw together an unbelievably elegant and beautiful wedding in two days.

It was planned early the next morning, and Lucy was so nervous/happy/excited that she could hardly breathe.

Not only that, but she had a very important question to ask a certain pink-haired moron, and she hadn't seen him since the day everyone found out.

Everyone reassured her that he just needed a little space to wrap his head around it all.

But she missed him. Especially right now, the night before her wedding, when she was all alone because Mira and Erza both forbade the bride and groom from seeing each other until the ceremony.

Neither of the women were to ever be crossed, but put them together?

Yeah, she wasn't that stupid.

She actually wanted these two months.

Laying in her bed, Lucy was thankful to be home. She was finally allowed to leave the infirmary under strict instruction to rest. She'd only had one more seizure since the first one. During the day she was never really alone. Erza, Levy, Gray, Cana, or Laxus normally kept her company, Laxus remaining overnight.

But tonight she was alone.

With a heavy sigh, Lucy closed her eyes, willing sleep to take her.

Just as she was starting to relax, the sound of her bedroom window sliding open had her sitting up in a flash.

And there he stood.

Pink hair shielded his eyes as he took a seat at the edge of her bed. Neither of them said anything for the longest time, when suddenly he sniffled and then launched himself at her.

He lay partially on top of her, his face buried in the crook of her neck, and with a sad smile she rubbed his trembling shoulders.

No words were said. They just held each other.

This was the boy who brought her to her family. Because of him she had a home.

Because of him, she met the man she was meeting at the end of the aisle the very next day.

Natsu was so incredibly important to her. So she had to ask him.

"Will you do something for me?" She whispered.

The pinkette sniffed. "Anything."

"Would you walk me down the aisle tomorrow?"

His body stiffened for only a moment, before he was nodding frantically into her neck and she giggled.

"Of course, Luce."

}{}{}{

The following morning, Lucy couldn't stand on her own.

Natsu helped her to the bathroom, even helping her bathe by setting her in the tub and washing her hair. She'd woken up a lot earlier that she'd planned, and the girls weren't getting there for another hour.

The Fire Dragon Slayer helped her out of the tub, held her steady so she could fasten her robe, and even went as far as making her some lightly buttered toast.

With how close they were, and how many times her idiot partner broke in unannounced, he had seen her naked plenty of times.

She was a little embarrassed that he had helped her do all of that, but he wouldn't have it.

"Whether you walk or I carry you down the damn aisle, you're getting married today no matter what. Quit being such a weirdo and let me get you out of the tub!" He'd said when she refused to let him help her any more than he had already.

Finally Erza, Levy, Cana, and Mira arrived. Natsu took that as his cue to leave, and said he needed to find a tux anyway.

They'd brought makeup, hair products, nail polish, and her dress.

But it was Cana who went above and beyond.

She'd shown up a bit later than the others – with a wheelchair of all things.

"Saw that you might need this." The Card mage said as she wheeled it into the apartment. "Don't ask how or why I even have one of these, 'kay?"

Her best friends dolled her up. Curling her golden tresses into ringlets, before pining it into a beautiful half updo. Cana hid the bags under her eyes like a professional, stating she had to know how because most days where spent with a raging hangover. She was given a light smoky-eye look that made her brown eyes and petal pink lips pop.

The dress she was wearing wasn't a traditional wedding dress. She had opted for a beautiful white sundress, with cap-sleeves made completely of lace. It was simple, showed off her curves, and now that she knew she would be in a wheelchair she was very thankful it ended just below her knees.

On her throat hung one of her mother's necklaces. The silver chain held a little pendent, a tiny diamond crescent moon, which went well with the diamond studs in her ears.

Her bridesmaids, everyone currently in her apartment, all wore pale pink sundresses that were similar to her own. The only difference, besides the color, were that their dresses were sleeveless and held no lace.

Over-all, Lucy felt beautiful. And she was ready.

}{}{}{

The moment her music started, Natsu began wheeling her down the aisle.

In all of the stories she'd read about weddings, the bride and groom always only had eyes for each other and the rest of the world faded away.

They were wrong, at least at first.

The first thing she actually noticed were all of her Spirits sitting in the fold up chairs up at the very front. Somehow they were all there, even though she couldn't summon them anymore.

The petite blonde fought back tears, especially when she caught sight of the usually cross mermaid dabbing tears from her eyes.

"Oi, don't do that. You'll cry off your face, Luigi." Her partner said, rather loudly, in her ear.

She blindly swatted at him, giggling as their nakama broke out in chuckles around them.

But then she saw him.

Laxus was standing at the alter with the master, who was officiating the ceremony, eyes filled with complete adoration. He was wearing a crisp black suit and pale pink tie.

The world around her fell away, and she was vaguely aware of Natsu kissing her cheek before locking the wheels of her chair and taking his seat.

The small blonde desperately wanted to stand, and he must have seen it in her eyes, because he knelt down before her.

Taking her small hands in his, he leaned closer. "You are so beautiful."

The ceremony flew by in a blur of happy tears. When they finally kissed as man and wife, he scooped her up from her chair, carrying her back down the aisle as their family tossed impossible amounts of rice at them.

Fairy Tail being Fairy Tail, the reception was filled with drinking and dancing, cheering and brawling. And, by Erza's demand, lots and lots of cake.

It was decided that they would forgo a honeymoon, instead spending as much time with their nakama as she could.

The perfect day ended with a perfect night, wrapped in her new husband's arms.

He wouldn't stop calling her Mrs. Dreyar, and she couldn't stop smiling. Even when her cheeks started to hurt and sleep claimed her, she never stopped smiling.

}{}{}{

It was merely three weeks later, three weeks filled to the brim with happiness, that she passed.

Her husband laid with her, holding her tightly to him, Natsu clutching her hand to his cheek, and the rest of her family surrounding her.

And she wouldn't have had it any other way.

 **Writing this killed me.**

 **Not only would it never freaking end (seriously, it basically gained a life of its own), it was just heartbreaking to write. I'm a sucker for happy endings, but with how I laid this out it was just not an option.**

 **Of course, after writing such a sad prompt, the next day is Tears. But I'm just not going to make it sad. Nope. Can't do it.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all tomorrow!**


	4. Tears

**I said** _ **repeatedly**_ **to myself that I would not write any angst for this prompt. I had a plan and everything for it to make it this big ball of fluffy garbage to make up for yesterday. (Laxus was going to cry while cutting onions and Lucy was going to tease him relentlessly) Not to say I don't like fluffy garbage, because let's face it, everyone needs fluffy garbage. It's like crack. Crack-ship crack.**

 **Will that happen?**

 **Nope.**

 **My brain did its brain thing and was like "I'm so disappointed in you. Where is your creativity? Because you suck so badly, you are now going to write a medium AU. No exceptions. And you know what? I'm going to be a dick and make you continue this in another prompt. You're welcome."**

 **The last thing I will say in this huge author's note, is that you can thank my brain for this, because I had no intentions of writing it. At all. This will continue on in the last prompt of the week 'Father'.**

 **Day 3: Tears.**

"Here's your change, sir. Thank you so much for choosing Celestial Café!"

The petite blonde heaved a tired sigh as one of the few costumers she'd had that evening left the establishment, the little bell above the door chiming as it shut behind him.

She glanced around, the few employees working their shifts were doing their jobs diligently. Everything was in order, so she decided it was time for a quick break.

Lucy Heartfilia was the proud owner of the small red-brick building. It was nestled in between the town's only library, which so happened to be run by her very best friend, and a new dojo that had opened up just a few days ago that was oddly named _Fairy_ _Tail_.

She was quite young to own her own business, and it was hard at times, but it was so worth it. The blonde found it ironic that the business lessons forced upon her by her father became so very useful later in life. She'd detested them back then, but now she was grateful. He may not have been the best father to her, but in doing what he did, he unknowingly helped her achieve her dream.

And it was her dream.

Her mother had been a culinary genius when it came to cooking, especially pastries. Growing up, Layla would always prepare the meals, even if her father thought it was servant work. Like her mother, Lucy knew that even though he always acted as though it bothered him to no end, he secretly adored her cooking. Being raised by a professional chef, Lucy was often right by her mother's side. The woman taught her everything she knew, and Lucy came to love cooking just as much. She continued cooking whenever she was able to sneak into the kitchens after her mother died, becoming fast friends with the chef hired by her father. The man, Bero, was amazed at her gift toward cuisine seeing that she'd only been eight at the time.

That was when she discovered she had another, more unusual gift.

Realizing that her thoughts had gone completely with the wind, Lucy lightly smacked her own cheeks in an effort to focus.

"Aries." The blonde called to one of her employees, catching her right when she was coming back inside from her break.

The timid woman walked around the counter to stand beside her, tucking a stray strand of cotton candy pink hair behind her ear. "Y-yes, Miss Lucy? I didn't take too long of a break, did I? I'm sorry!"

The blonde gave her a soft, reassuring smile. "No, not at all. I was just wondering if you would mind manning the register while I took a break myself."

Aries relaxed slightly, nodding enthusiastically, already entering her personal code into the register. "Of course I don't mind. Take as long of a break as you need, Miss Lucy!"

A tall, ginger haired man leaned up against the counter beside the pinkette. He adjusted his tinted glasses on his nose, before giving her a charming grin.

Not giving him the chance to open his mouth, Lucy thanked the woman before retreating to her office where she grabbed her purse and her water bottle.

She left out the back door, walking a little further down the narrow alley that separated her café and the dojo, taking a seat in one of the fold out chairs she'd placed their for her employees.

Setting her purse on the tiny iron table next to her, she dug through the chaos within its depths to find her lighter. With a victorious internal cheer, she finally found the damn thing and took a cigarette from her pack.

Taking in a deep drag, she leaned back in the chair, tipping her head back and closing her eyes.

Smoking was a nasty habit, she knew. But she needed a convenient way to take the edge off. Recreational drugs were off of the table, and other than the rare joint she had shared with friends in college she refused to touch the stuff. As much as day drinking appealed to her, some days more than others, she had a business to run and she needed to be coherent enough to keep it afloat.

Her gift, as one might call it, was also her curse.

It was a constant hum, one she'd once thought everyone experienced, buzzing within the depths of her mind. Depending on where she was or who she was near, it ranged from a barely there vibration to a violent jackhammering in her skull.

Then there were the whispers.

Whispers only she could hear unless the spirit was strong enough to make their presence known to others. Even then, that person would have to have a decent sensitivity to the paranormal.

Yes, she said spirit.

Lucy Heartfilia, proud business owner at the age of twenty two, was a medium.

She talked to the dead on a daily basis.

After graduating high school early, she went to college to get a degree in business. She hadn't needed to go to culinary school. Even after death, her mother continued teaching her everything she knew. Layla had stayed with her until the café's opening day, at peace knowing her daughter followed her dream.

Her employees knew about this gift. They'd picked up on her seemingly odd quirks, and only thought her strange until Aries came along.

Damn Loke.

He was an annoyingly persistent entity. She'd tried ignoring him at first, but he just kept finding new ways to pester her. And when that didn't work, he tried again. And again. And again. And again. Until one day, she just snapped.

In the middle of cleaning up the café at the end of the day, she'd whirled around while attempting to count the register - over his obnoxious voice shouting out numbers at random to make her lose count - and yelled for him to shut up.

They'd all looked at her like she'd grown a second head, wondering if she'd finally completely lost her mind.

Catching herself, she'd told them to get back to work.

But Loke had the tenacity of a lion and wouldn't have it.

He'd finally gotten her to talk to him, and he wouldn't let the opportunity escape his grasp.

It was then that Lucy found out he had more power than any spirit she'd ever encountered.

Everyone had watched, stunned into silence, as the lights surged above her head. The tip jar, tray of assorted cookies, and sample jars of homemade jams she made and sold went sailing off of the counter, crashing to the floor and shattering.

Afraid he would get violent, she had no choice but to do as he wished. She'd explained what was going on and passed his message to Aries, who happened to be his girlfriend from when he was alive.

Apparently, from what she gathered, Aries was raised by abusive parents. When they'd started dating, and he'd found out, he'd been livid. Confronting them had gone horribly wrong. Her mother, Karen, was completely unstable, her father a drunkard. She'd threatened to burn the entire house down if he didn't leave and never come back, but he'd refused to leave without Aries. She'd left the room, and thinking the fight was over, he had Aries wait outside while he packed up some of her things. What neither of them knew, was that Karen was in the kitchen cutting the gas lines to the stove.

Karen, Loke, and her father who had been passed out in the living room, died in the explosion.

Debris knocked out Aries in the front lawn, and she'd woken up in the hospital three days later to find out they were all gone.

Loke just wanted to let her know that she needed to stop blaming herself.

Surprisingly, the entire staff was cool with her ability, and accepted the odd occurrences that would sometimes happen in the café. Because no, she couldn't get lucky, and instead of moving on, Loke decided to stick around. It wouldn't even surprise the small blonde if he only did it to agitate her further.

She'd even reconnected a few more of her worker's lost loved ones. Scorpio's wife Aquarius was glued to his side. She was a joy. Not. She flooded the bathrooms on a daily basis. Aiden's father, Horologium, kept watch over him in relative silence. He was a nice spirit, though the man constantly tampered with every clock or watch in the place, as he had crafted them by hand when he was alive. Lyra was followed by Virgo, who was the maid that basically raised her from a small child because her father was some sort of Duke and was rarely around.

There were a few more, and they had all tethered to Lucy to keep them from becoming wandering souls before they wanted to move on. And that was fine, it just wore her out sometimes.

The sound of a door opening and shutting near her snapped her out of her thoughts, and made her realize she'd been zoning out for so long that her cigarette went out.

The blonde stuck it in the bucket of sand meant for butts and fished out a new one. It was a waste, but she hated nothing more than the taste of a relit cigarette. Even the thought of it made her cringe.

Just as she took the first inhale, a large sigh was heaved and a person was plopping down heavily in the chair beside her.

And she immediately started drooling.

This man…was a god.

Thick chiseled muscle _everywhere_. He was so tall and just large that the folding chair he was sitting in groaned with his weight.

Thanking the Gods that he was shirtless, her eyes studied the tribal tattoo etched into his muscular pectoral and shoulder in black ink. Amongst the thick black design was the same symbol used by the dojo he had just exited from. She had seen several other members sporting the same mark, and often wondered if it was a requirement to join. It resembled an oddly beautiful cross between some sort of bird and a fairy.

' _Do fairies have tails?'_ She mused internally.

Stormy blue eyes glittered in the lamplight, spikey blonde hair just a shade or two darker than her own. Defined jaw. Slightly crooked nose, but it didn't hinder his attractiveness in any way. The thing that stood out the most though, was the jagged scar that cut through his eye. It looked like a lightning bolt, and just fit his appearance so well that she couldn't even picture him without it.

"You done checking me out now?" A deep, smug voice asked.

Heat crept up the back of her neck when she realized she had been ogling him.

Refusing to stutter like a fool in front of this Adonis of a man, she rolled her eyes and took a lazy drag. "Yeah right. Can I help you with something?"

The much larger blonde arched a thick brow. "What makes you think I need anything?"

She gestured to the seating area with the hand holding her cigarette. "Well, seeing as these are my chairs and tables, I had a right to assume you sat here with me for a purpose."

"Sheesh. If you're gonna be stingy about some cheap folding chairs, then I'll just go." He huffed and rose to leave.

Without fully understanding why, she reached out and grasped his wrist, tugging him back down in his seat. Though, she had a feeling that if he hadn't wanted to sit back down, she wouldn't have been able to move him at all.

"Wait. I never said you had to leave. Just make sure that if you or anyone else use these chairs, that you leave room for any of my employees if they want them."

He smirked at her. "Deal. Now, can you quit holding my hand?"

This time, the blush lit up her entire face, and she snatched her hand back to fast that it slapped against her bare thighs. Fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, she mumbled out an apology and tried to ignore his amused chuckles.

"Mind bumming me one of those?" He asked when his mirth faded.

Blinking at him in surprise, she reached into her purse and then offered him the open pack.

"You smoke?"

He just seemed so healthy and in shape, and not the usual type to do such a thing.

After using her lighter and taking the first drag, he slouched a little in his seat, suddenly seeming exhausted. "Only sometimes. When the time calls for it." He looked at her and she was stunned to see the sadness swirling in his gaze. "Today was just one of those days."

Before she could respond, a deep sigh sounded next to her. A ridiculously tiny man was now standing in between them. She had never seen a grown person so small! He wore an orange tracksuit, the dojo's symbol printed in a contrasting white on the breast pocket, and a funny little hat. His white hair poofed out on the sides of his head, the color matching the mustache on his upper lip.

And he was gazing at the brute of a man with so much grief that it made her heart clench involuntarily.

The little old man shifted to look at her, and his eyes widened almost comically.

"You can see me?!" He shouted in disbelief, and a stray cat startled from further down the alley, bounding away like a bat out of hell.

When she noticed that the man sitting next to her was looking in the direction the cat came from, Lucy gave the spirit a miniscule nod.

After a beat of surprise, the spirit scrambled closer to her and she fought the urge to back away at the intrusion to her personal space.

"Please! You have to help my grandson. He's not coping well with my death, and I don't want him ruining his health or everything he has worked so hard to achieve. Please, I beg of you, child. Help him find closure!" His face was serious, and his voice was pleading and urgent.

She wanted so desperately to respond to him, but the other blonde was looking at her again.

"You alright there, Blondie? You look like you've seen a ghost." He teased.

Lucy forced herself to turn to him, and the urge to laugh hysterically at how true his statement was bubbled up in her throat. She pushed it down, instead focusing on the name he'd called her.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're blonde too. But yeah, I'm alright. Just zoned out for a minute there." She waved him off and extended her hand to him. "I'm Lucy, by the way. I own Celestial Café."

He shook her hand with a small grin. "Laxus. I run the dojo. Gotta say I'm impressed, you're a bit young to own your own place like this. Either that, or you look way younger than you are."

She stuck her tongue out childishly and put out her finished cigarette. "I'm twenty-two, thanks." Standing up, she gathered her purse (and her courage) and smiled at him. "Well, it was nice meeting you. This might sound odd, but I actually have something I need to discuss with you. Stop by tomorrow night after the café closes and I'll treat you to some free dessert."

Laxus looked at her strangely before smirking smugly. "Huh. Only known me for all of ten minutes and you're already asking me out. I think that's a new record, Blondie. But sure. I'll be there."

Resisting the urge to smack the smirk off his face, the blonde only huffed and walked back into her café.

She had no idea how to go about bringing all this ghostly stuff to a stranger, but she knew for a fact that she was _not_ looking forward to it.

}{}{}{

The next day, unfortunately, flew by.

She now found herself compulsively wiping down all of the tables for the fourth time since she'd closed up shop.

Having already prepared scones with fresh berries, a small platter of assorted cookies, and would ask him what he wanted to drink when he got there, all that was left to do was wait.

Gods, she was nervous.

Normally when confronting someone about a spirit, which she tried not to do often, she would never really have to see that person again so it wasn't that big of a deal.

With Laxus though, it was different.

He worked right next to where she did and would probably run in to him often. If this went south for any reason, things could get sticky.

The last thing Lucy needed was for him to spread it around that she was a freak.

The door chime rang behind her, and she forced herself to stop furiously scrubbing the pristine table and face him.

"It smells pretty damn good in here, Blondie." The large blonde said as he casually glanced around the café.

Taking in a calming breath, she tossed the rag in the sink behind the counter and gestured to a booth where she had placed all of the snacks. "Go ahead and take a seat over there. Is there anything you'd like to drink?"

Laxus walked to the booth and sat down, examining the deserts with interest. "What's your favorite?"

The petite blonde gave him a sheepish smile. "Well, even though I know how to make all those fancy drinks, my favorite is just plain coffee with soy milk."

Picking up a scone, Laxus raised a brow at her, but nodded. "I'll have some of that then."

"Okay, it'll be right up."

Taking two mugs off the drying rack, she filled them with freshly brewed coffee from the pot before retrieving the soy milk from the fridge. As she was putting everything away, a surprised grunt reached her ears.

"Holy shit. That was the best scone I've ever had."

Striding to the table, a mug in each hand, she watched in amusement as he reached for another.

A sorrowful sigh alerted her of the tiny spirit sitting in the space beside the hulking man.

"Lucky bastard. Those look delicious." He grumbled enviously.

Lucy stifled a giggle, placing the full mugs in front of each of them and sat on the other side of the booth.

"Thank you! They're one of my favorites. And they're very good with the berries." She suggested, blowing gently at her hot beverage before cautiously taking a small sip.

They sat in silence for a while, well besides the spirit's grumbling, nibbling on the snacks and sipping at their drinks.

After they'd eaten their fill, Lucy cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders. "I assume you're wondering why I needed to speak with you."

Laxus straightened in his seat at the change in her demeanor and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I was pretty sure this was a date of some sort, but going off the look on your face I was clearly wrong."

Too nervous to be bothered with his teasing, she took another deep breath. "Yes well… let me ask you something. And you have to promise to keep an open mind and to hear me out until the end, ok?"

His thick brows furrowed. "Why do I feel like I'm about to get grounded or something?"

Rolling her chocolate eyes, she huffed. "Just promise."

He raised his hands in mock surrender before crossing his arms once more. "Alright, I promise."

Tucking her hands in her lap under the table when they began to tremble, Lucy hoped he couldn't tell how nervous she really was. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"What?" He asked, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" She repeated.

"Are you serious?" At her pointed look, he sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. "No. Not really. They're just spooky stories invented to scare children."

This was going to be harder than she thought. Why was she even hoping that she would get lucky and he would believe in their existence?

She sighed. "What if I told you that they are, in fact, real?"

"Then I'd sincerely hope you get the mental help you need." He said, but she could tell that he was only half joking since he was looking at her like she was wacko.

A little angered, and actually kind of hurt, by his statement, she glared at him. "I do not need mental health. It's not like I asked for any of this. And here I was just trying to help you."

"Help me?" A look of sudden understanding washed over his face and she gulped as he suddenly looked incredibly intimidating. "Oh, I see what this is. Let me guess. I have an evil ghost attached to me, and with the right price you'll get rid of it. Am I right?"

Stunned at his accusation, she gaped at him for a moment.

"Never would have thought a person like you would run that kind of scam." He spat, reaching to throw some Jewel on the table and leave.

Her hand darted out before he could even pull the Jewel out of his wallet, and she looked at him pleadingly. "Wait, no. That's not it. You promised you would let me explain until the end. Just let me explain. Please?"

Contemplating for a full minute, Laxus heaved an exasperated sigh and sat back down.

"Fine. Start talking." He growled, shaking off her hand.

"O-okay." Lucy looked down at her hands that were clasped together on top of the table, unable to meet his harsh glare. "I… I have this gift."

He snorted, but otherwise kept quiet.

"Sometimes it feels like more of a curse, but I try to help people with it."

She finally lifted her head to look him in the eye. "I can speak to the dead."

"And what does that bullshit have to do with me?" He scoffed.

Glancing at the quiet spirit as he watched his grandson disapprovingly, she tried to muster as much courage as she could to get through this.

Looking back to the dojo owner, she saw he was eyeing the empty space next to him out of the corner of his eye. When he brought his attention back to her, she spoke, cursing herself at the slight tremble of her voice.

"You have a message from someone who cares for you very much."

"Bullshit!" He roared, and she flinched back, half expecting him to strike her.

Seeing her reaction, he tried reeling back some of the anger that surged through his veins. There was a few things he hated about people, and this was one of them. People like her, doing this, preyed on others by using their grief. It was disgusting and cruel. It angered him to no end, and he would've already left if he hadn't promised her he wouldn't until she was finished. One thing he prided himself on, was keeping his word.

"Prove it." He bit out, ignoring the slightly disturbed feeling he got while watching her cower away from him. "I bet you can't, right? You've probably looked me up, and will tell me some generic shit to get me to believe this bullshit. Then you'll ask me to pay you to deal with the problem, right?"

Lucy shook her head rapidly, willing the sting in her eyes to go away. Why was this so hard? She was used to people reacting this way. Treating her like scum because of something they didn't understand. The only people who had ever accepted her had been Bero, and her employees, plus some of the random people who had actually believed her throughout her life. But everyone else treated her poorly, thinking she was a freak of nature or a cruel liar.

So why was this any different? How was this, the same situation she'd been in more times than she could count, hitting her this hard when she could usually just brush it off?

"You heard me, Blondie. I said prove it." He said coldly, leaning back in his seat to express that he was waiting.

Movement caught her eye and she watched as the spirit made a hand gesture.

"Show him this, and he will understand." He said, looking at her sympathetically, as though he really didn't like putting her though this.

She nodded minutely at him and turned looked at the expectant Laxus.

Sucking in a shaky breath, she raised her fisted right hand above her head, turning it so that the back of her hand was facing him. Slowly, and almost cautiously, she uncurled her pointer finger and her thumb and watched his face.

His response was immediate. He lurched in his seat, face draining of all color as he stared at her raised hand with shock and disbelief contorting his features.

"How do you…" He trailed off, voice cracking.

Lucy lowered her hand and gave him a gentle understanding smile. "Like I said, I have the ability to speak to the dead. I'm a medium. Your grandfather wanted to talk to you."

Laxus stared at her for several minutes, deep in thought, and she jumped as he unexpectedly lurched to his feet.

"Never speak to me again." His voice was low, threatening, and he never looked back as he left the café, disappearing into the night.

Dumbfounded, she turned to look at the tiny spirit. He shook his head sadly.

"Thank you for trying, child." He said softly, before hurrying off after his grandson.

Lucy sat there for a long time, staring at the door, before she burst into tears.

Laying her face on the cool surface of the table, the salty streams poured down her cheeks and on to the table as she sobbed openly.

Sometimes, her gift was more of a curse.

}{}{}{

Months passed, and besides spotting glimpses of him as he went to and from the dojo, Lucy never saw or spoke to Laxus again.

Her coworkers knew something was wrong, as did the spirits who frequented the little café. They all took it upon themselves to do the majority of the work so that she wouldn't have to worry about it, and she was grateful.

She just couldn't get over it. Never once had she been this bothered by someone rejecting her abilities. It was always at the forefront of her mind. She'd berate herself constantly over how she handled the situation, thinking of many different ways she could have done it differently. If she had done it another way, would it have turned out better? Would Laxus have accepted her gift and listened to what his grandfather had to say, so that he could finally be at peace and move on?

It bothered her to no end that she would never know.

So, imagine her surprise when the man himself came barreling into the café as she was just about to lock up for the night.

"Laxus!" She gasped, as he easily towered over her small frame.

"Let's say that you were telling the truth. That gramps really is here and wants to talk to me. What would be so important that he would stick around after death? Huh? What would he say?" He demanded, gripping her upper arms tightly.

He looked haggard, exhausted. His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy as though he'd been crying hard about all of this. Over-all, he looked desperate for answers.

She smiled softly at him, despite the pain from his strong grip. "How about we sit down and ask him, Laxus."

Laxus stared at her for a moment, before his eyes widened and he ripped his hands away from her body as though he'd just realized what he was doing.

Lumbering past her, he plopped down at a booth and ran a hand through his disheveled blonde locks.

Rubbing her arms, wincing at the tender flesh, she walked to him and lowered herself into the seat adjacent to his.

The tiny spirit made himself comfortable on top of the table so he could face them both, sitting with his legs folded and his hands in his lap.

"Get on with it." Laxus grunted.

Ignoring his demanding tone, she turned to smile at the spirit. "I never got your name."

He returned her smile. "It's Makarov, child."

"It's nice to meet you officially, Makarov. I'm Lucy." She introduced, aware that Laxus was looking at the empty space where his grandfather was sitting rather skeptically.

"Now, would you mind sharing what you wished to tell your grandson?"

Makarov gazed at the imposing man with sorrowful eyes. "I need for him to know that I would do it again without hesitation. Anything to keep him safe."

She relayed the message, heart clenching when his stormy blue eyes glazed with unshed tears.

"Can he hear me?" He rasped. At her nod, he looked to the empty space. "Gramps, you senile old man. You should have never done it in the first place."

Makarov scoffed. "And what? Left you with him? What kind of grandfather do you take me for, brat?"

"Yes! Then at least I would still have you." He said angrily. "You left me alone, gramps."

When there was a lull in the conversation, her passing along what the spirit was saying, she cleared her throat delicately. "Would you mind explaining what happened?" She asked them respectively.

Laxus remained silent, glaring at the ceiling, so Makarov sighed and began the tale. "My son, Laxus's father, was a problematic man with a raging drug addiction. He wasn't always that way. As a child and into his teens, he was actually a very kind boy. Very smart too. For reasons I still do not know, he dropped out of college in his second year, often getting into trouble and having me bail him out of jail. A year or two later, he showed up on my doorstep, a little bundle in his arms. Apparently, someone had left the child on his porch with a note stating that the baby was his son and that his name was Laxus.

"Ivan wanted nothing to do with any of it, so I took the child in. I didn't see Ivan again until a few months later. He was sober, said he got a job and that he wanted to raise his own son. So I let him. A few years later, when Laxus was three, Ivan moved back to town in search of a new job. He moved in to a house down the street and everything was fine for a while. But then, when Laxus was four, he fell back in with the same crowd and started doing the drugs again. I waited for him to realize that what he was doing was wrong, and I often checked up on them to make sure that Laxus was being cared for properly. This went on for years, somehow Ivan managed to keep his job, and I never noticed the signs until it was too late."

Makarov took a deep breath, before he continued. "When Laxus was about ten years old, I took him swimming. That's when I saw the bruises. Ivan had become abusive, and I hadn't even known. I thought that confronting him was a good idea, but it made everything spiral out of control. It made _Ivan_ spiral out of control.

"He lost his job, refused to let me see my own grandson, and started making and selling the drugs himself. I was conflicted. He was my own child, and I didn't want to report him to the authorities, but he needed to stop. One night I went over and broke into the house to speak with him. One look at the state of the house, and the still healing gash over Laxus's face and I was filled with rage. Ivan was already pissed because I was there, but the situation grew out of control. When I knew things were about to get violent, I told Laxus to run down the street to my house and call the police. Ivan panicked, grabbed his gun and shot me before shooting himself. We both died that day."

Lucy couldn't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks even if she tried. Gazing at the irritated blonde man in front of her, she couldn't believe all that he'd been through. She thought having a neglectful and verbally abusive father was tough, but she couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been for him.

"The hell are you blubbering about, Blondie?" He grumbled.

She sniffled, snatching a napkin from the dispenser on the table and dabbing her eyes. "I'm just sorry you had to go through all that you did, Laxus."

The larger blonde tensed briefly, before huffing. "I don't need your pity."

Giving him a sad smile, she nodded. "I know."

Makarov gazed between the two, something mischievous in his eyes. She gave him a questioning look, but he waved her off and grew serious once again. "Tell him that it was never his fault. He didn't need to be strong enough to handle it on his own at only ten years old. He was just a child." His gaze watered and he cleared his throat. "Tell him that I love him dearly, and that I'm so proud of him. He's taken my place at Fairy Tail and doing such a wonderful job. Let him know that I've seen how the dojo is thriving at this new location."

The petite blonde relayed the message, and Laxus hunched forward, pressing his palms over his eyes. His shoulders trembled and his jaw clenched from restrained sobs.

"Tell him that he needs to stop killing himself over it. To stop with the heavy drinking at home, and that he needs to take better care of himself. He is the only one I want carrying on Fairy Tail's legacy, and he can't do that if he's dead."

Thick streams slipped past his hands, and he nodded his head. "Okay, old man." He croaked.

The mischievousness returned to the elderly spirit. "And quit wasting time, you brat. You're twenty-seven. Find a pretty lady who, oh I don't know, is blonde and sees dead people, and give me some damn great-grandbabies!"

Lucy relayed the message, and it took Laxus's strangled laugh for her to realize what exactly she had said.

Her entire face flushed, the spirit's cackles only deepening the blush and embarrassment.

Laxus wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his black dress shirt, an amused smirk playing at his lips. "God dammit, you old perverted geezer. You've been hounding me about making babies since I was seven."

Lucy giggled despite her own embarrassment, but the way Laxus was now looking at her made her blush for a whole new reason.

Makarov wiped a tear of mirth from his eye and smiled at the two blondes in front of him. It was time now, he could feel it, and from the knowing look the small woman was giving him he knew she felt it as well.

"Laxus, it's time to say goodbye." She said, reaching out and placing her hand on top of his large one. He surprised her by flipping his hand and lacing their fingers together, giving it a small squeeze.

"I love you, grandpa. Thanks for everything. I'll never forget you, old man." He said evenly, his voice only trembling at the end.

"I love you too, brat. Keep making me proud."

Makarov closed his eyes, and his body began to glow a faint white. After a moment, the light pulsated and he completely vanished.

Laxus's eyes shot open wide as a large gust of warm wind blew past them, rustling their hair along with the napkins at their table.

He looked at her for answers, and she smiled sadly at him. "He's at peace, and moved on."

He nodded slowly, closing his eyes as a fresh wave of tears threatened to flow. He forced them back, gently squeezing her tiny hand. It was unreal, how light he felt now that the huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. It wasn't as though all of the feelings of shame and guilt were gone, that would take time. But he felt like he finally had closure after all of this time. He had hope. Peace. And it was all thanks to the woman he'd treated so poorly before.

Stormy blue opened to meet chocolate brown and he smiled. "I don't even know how to thank you for this." He started. "But I do want to apologize, for how I acted before. I shouldn't have been so cruel."

Lucy shook her head and squeezed back. "No, I understand."

They gazed at each other for a long time, similar feelings of warmth blooming in their chests.

After a while, Lucy reluctantly retracted her hand. "Are you hungry?"

Laxus thought about denying it, not wanted to ask anything more of her in that moment, but the sudden roaring in his stomach betrayed him.

Smiling brightly, Lucy stood and made her way to the kitchen. "I have just the thing!"

And as Laxus watched her walk away, all he could think was that he could get used to this.

Ghosts, tears, and all.

 **Fucking** _ **fin.**_

 **Why do I do this to myself? This was supposed to be a short fluff piece, and instead it turned into an angsty, 6,000+ words piece about ghosts.**

 **Now I have to rush to write tomorrow's prompt, but even if it's a day late I will post it.**

 **Thank you all for everyone's kind words from yesterday's post. I didn't realize so many people would get so emotional over it. Sorry if I made you cry!**

 **Also, a big thanks to everyone who gave condolences for my friend. It was appreciated!**

 **The next one will be all fluff. Even if I have to hold a pillow to that voice inside my head that feeds me ideas until it passes out.**

 **See you all tomorrow for Protect!**


	5. Protect(ion)

**This will not have angst. This will not have angst. This will not have angst.**

 **Fluff. Fluff. Fluff. Fluff. Fluff.**

 **I can't tell if my new mantra is working.**

 **Day 4: Protect(ion)**

Laxus had a nightly ritual.

Every night when he and his girlfriend went to sleep, he would stay awake.

Only long enough for him to move into the most comfortable position in the world (to him anyway) without any protests from the petite woman he was head-over-heels for.

Once he was certain she was asleep, he would gently remove her clinging limbs from his body and turn her so that she was laying on her back. After accomplishing that much without waking her, he would slide down the bed, wrap his arms around her tiny waist, and use her stomach as a pillow.

Which is exactly where he found himself one fall night. One that he would probably remember for the rest of his life.

The Lightning Dragon Slayer didn't understand why or how he found it so comfortable. Her stomach wasn't all that soft, instead it was rather toned and firm from years of training her body with only a little bit of 'squish' as she called it.

Maybe it was because he loved being so close to her.

Maybe it was the way her hands always found their way to sift through his hair, even in sleep.

Maybe it was how he found the tiny gurgling noises her stomach occasionally made adorable.

Or maybe it was because of how easy it was to reach the part of her body that would wake her with pleasure.

Whatever it was, he loved it, and could hardly fall asleep without it.

With a content sigh, Laxus nuzzled into her soft flesh and closed his eyes.

…only for then to snap open in shock a few seconds later.

"What the hell…" He murmured quietly, pressing his ear firmly against her lower abdomen.

With his magic, Laxus was accustomed to having enhanced senses. Nothing usually got by him, period.

So imagine his shock and confusion when he discovered that his girlfriend of a little over a year had more than one heartbeat in her body.

He sat there dumbfounded for the longest time, trying to find the answer to this strange phenomenon.

She had never had an extra heartbeat previously, at least as long as he'd known her.

How the hell did she have one now?

The new heartbeat was incredibly faint, so faint that if he wasn't right up against her stomach he probably wouldn't have heard it at all.

He debated waking her up to ask her about it, but immediately scrapped the idea. A Lucy woken up before she was ready was basically a death sentence, and despite being one of the strongest in the guild, Scary Lucy terrified him.

As he laid there, thinking up any and every possible answer, it finally hit him.

…Hard. Like a sack filled with bricks swung by an enraged Mira. (He would know, her teenage years where traumatizing to anyone who crossed her path. Which he did. More so than anyone else.)

The large blonde actually blanched, his head flying off of her stomach.

He stared at the creamy expanse of exposed skin in utter disbelief.

"No fucking way…" He whispered, eyes widening more by the second as the realization registered in his mind.

His girlfriend, was pregnant.

Cautiously, he lowered his ear back down. Sure enough, the light strumming of a tiny heart diligently pumping blood remained, steady and strong.

Laxus Dreyar was going to be a dad.

The idea alone was enough to leave him flabbergasted, completely and utterly astonished.

But he couldn't help but wonder how this came to be, no pun intended.

They always wore protection, even though she took a birth control potion every three months. With them both being members of Fairy Tail, they wanted to be as careful as possible. He knew for a fact that Lucy wanted to become a mother someday, but way in the future. Preferably after becoming S-class.

Not when she was barely twenty years old and unmarried.

He knew she never forgot to take the potion, as she'd smell faintly of Queen Anne's Lace for up to a week following the dosage.

A niggling in the back of his mind caught his attention and he focused on it as hard as he could.

Oh.

 _Oh._

Well, shit.

There was one night that they didn't use a condom, and it was a little over a month ago. However, she had just taken her potion the week prior so she shouldn't have gotten knocked up.

He was not good at dealing with strong emotions, and he did not handle change well unless he was in control of it. It took him a long time to sort through how he was feeling and deal with it accordingly. But with this kind of situation, he knew he didn't have much time to figure everything out. As much as he wanted to wait for the small blonde beneath him to figure it out on her own, their occupation as mages meant he had to let her know soon.

It wasn't that he hated the idea of having brats of his own. He just never really wanted them. Being a mage was something he devoted his life to, and having a baby would put a wrench in everything.

Laxus knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night, yet for some reason he couldn't move his head away from the newly discovered sound to get up and do something to bide the time.

Sighing heavily, he willed sleep to take him, knowing that overthinking the situation wouldn't help anything.

Mavis, he needed a strong drink.

}{}{}{

The following evening, Laxus found himself sitting with his team at a pub a few blocks away from the guild.

Well, most of the team.

Evergreen was off gallivanting with Elfman (read, screwing like rabbits) so that left him with Bickslow and Freed.

One glance at Freed told him, and everyone that looked his way that he'd much rather be somewhere else. Like back at the guild so he could spend time with Mira. It was funny really. The entire guild thought that Mira and himself would end up together. However, no one knew of the feelings the green-haired mage harbored for the barmaid. Laxus merely thought of her as the nagging younger sister he never really asked for. Not to say that he didn't love her dearly, she just constantly pestered him to settle down with a girl. Then once he announced his relationship with Lucy, the demon matchmaker started hounding him for babies.

Oh…right. That's why he was trying to drink himself stupid.

"Care to explain why we are here? We never drink anywhere but the guild when we are home." Freed huffed, taking a small sip of his white wine. Psh. Pansy.

That though in mind, Laxus slammed back the rest of his bourbon in one go.

"Needed time away to work something out." He grunted, signaling the burly bartender for another round.

"'Bout what, boss-man?" Bickslow asked, his totems swirling above the hulking blonde's head and repeating 'what's the matter'.

"Is there something bothering you?" Freed asked, turning to place all of his undivided attention on him.

Laxus sighed. "It's about Lucy."

Bicks snorted. "What, did you piss her off again?" The totems began to shiver exaggeratedly. 'Scary Lucy! Scary Lucy!'

Letting all of his pent up and conflicting emotions bubble over, Laxus almost shattered his now empty glass against the gritty bar top. "Why the hell does everyone assume I piss her off so much!?" He roared.

Bickslow and Freed tried to get him to open up about his problem, but he refused to answer them. In all honestly, he felt like acting childish for a moment, so he did.

By giving them the silent treatment.

After a while, his team mates gave up on getting him to talk. Fifteen minutes later, Laxus sighed wearily, scrubbing a hand down his face.

"Lucy's pregnant." He said quietly. It was so odd to say the words out loud.

"She's what?!" The two of them, along with Bickslow's totems cried. He usually called them babies, but Laxus was feeling a bit bitter towards the word at the moment.

"You heard me. She's got a bun in the oven. Makes no sense, either. She takes those potions that prevent pregnancy and I _always_ use a condom." He hunched over, burring his face in his hands on the bar.

"One time." He muttered, the sound muffled through his hands. "One time I don't wear one and she gets knocked up."

"What does Miss Lucy say about all of this?" Freed asked.

"She doesn't. I heard the heartbeat for the first time last night and put the pieces together."

Bickslow let out a long whistle. "Wow, how the hell do you break it to your girl that she's pregnant? Ha. You should become a midwife. With those ears you'd make big money." The totems wiggled above the Seith mage's head. 'Big money! Big money!'

Laxus straightened in his seat, his glare stating how close the Seith mage was to being electrocuted. "Don't you think I realize I'll have to do that? How the hell should I know?" He snapped.

Lightning danced dangerously around his fingertips, not even close to being in the mood to deal with the man's obnoxious teasing.

"You need to shut the hell up if you're not going to say anything helpful." He said scathingly.

The helmeted mage held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Hey now! There's no need to go all dragon-rage on me. It's not my fault you rode bareback in her cock-pocket." The totems did a little spin over the bar. 'Cock-pocket! Cock-pocket!'

The bartender broke into a fit of cackling laughter, and Laxus just stared blankly at his best friend.

Finally, the numb haze that usually only appeared when the perverted man made a particularly outlandish statement cleared.

Without a word, Laxus stood from his barstool, swung his jacket over his shoulder, and walked out the door shaking his head.

He ignored the calls from his team telling him to come back, and teleported back to the house he shared with his girlfriend.

On the bright side, the house he owned had several bedrooms and plenty of open space for the kid to run around. He'd bought it nearly eight years ago, well fifteen including the time skip, with money saved from S-class missions. His team lived with him for a while, before they all realized it was a horrible idea. Being with each other constantly almost ruined their relationships and split the team apart. Everyone moved out pretty quickly after that, and after having some space their dynamic thankfully went back to normal.

Upon entering his front door, he shed his fur-lined jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He unlaced his boots, placed them by the significantly smaller pairs Lucy had lined up by the door, and wandered through the house in search of his girlfriend.

He knew she was home, catching how fresh her scent was immediately, along with the smell of meat sizzling in hot oil and freshly baked bread.

Instead of entering the kitchen and announcing his presence, Laxus leaned against the doorway, watching the woman cooking dinner in fond amusement.

Lucy was humming a cheerful tune, wiggling her shapely hips as she stirred a pot of what smelled like mushrooms and rice. When she was finished stirring, she'd shuffle her feet to the beat of the tune, dancing over to flip the chicken she was pan-frying.

Her head bobbed as she moved, sending her long golden locks swaying back and forth behind her.

Mavis, she was beautiful.

A ray of sunshine. And oh, how he loved everything about her.

Suddenly the scene changed in front of him. Instead of the impeccably fit woman dancing in front of him, he saw the same scene, except for the fact that her belly was profoundly larger and rounder than it was now. She didn't look very far along, but it was glaringly obvious that she was pregnant, not just a little chubby.

It changed once more, and now he watched his girlfriend while she danced and cooked, a tiny blonde baby giggling and bouncing on her hip as she moved.

Something warm bloomed in his chest, and he found himself studying the child intently. Golden blonde curls pulled into little pigtails and tied with pink ribbon. Impossibly tiny, pudgy fingers clutched tightly to her mother's blouse. Stormy blue eyes, exactly like his own, open wide with glee. Her giggling mouth open to reveal mostly toothless gums.

She was perfect, he decided.

"Laxus? When did you get home?" His girlfriend's voice shattered the illusion, and he almost felt like crying when his daughter's image vanished with it.

Shaking his head, he forced himself to smile at the petite blonde woman watching him with curious and concerned eyes.

"Just now."

Concern never leaving her chocolate gaze, she continued studying his face. "Are you feeling okay? I called your name a few times, but it took you a while to respond."

His forced smile became genuine at how much she always cared about him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

Lucy shrugged and resumed cooking, and he took a seat on one of the high-back barstools tucked under the marble island.

"And uh… how are you feeling today?" He asked hesitantly.

She looked at him over her shoulder with a raised brow. "I'm fine. A little more tired than usual, but fine otherwise. I'm actually going to go to bed early after we eat. Team Natsu has a mission in the morning and I feel like I need some extra sleep."

That stopped him short, and he half considered telling her right then. But he just wasn't ready. "What kind of a mission is it?" He asked, hoping he sounded casual in asking.

Luckily she didn't find the question suspicious, humming in thought as she pulled down several plates and some silverware from the cupboard. "Oh, nothing too crazy. We just have to find the mayor's daughter a few towns over. He thinks she got lost in the woods. It's too easy for the whole team to go, but the reward is huge! Plus, with Natsu's nose we'll find her in no time."

Relief flooded him and he smiled at her in thanks when she slid a plate to him, piled high with delicious smelling food.

With a mission as simple as this, he didn't have to worry about her getting hurt in her condition. It gave him just a little more time to figure out a way to tell her.

}{}{}{

The next morning Laxus was sitting at his usual table, watching as Lucy gushed to Lisanna and Levy about the new book she was reading. Her team was just waiting on Natsu to arrive, and then they'd be taking the first train to Woodsworth Town. It was only three hours away by train, and was well-known for its production in lumber and large-scale tree farming.

The night before, he had been comfortable with the job she was taking. But now, with her departure coming within the next hour or so, paranoia and a fear he'd never experienced before flooded his entire being.

The idea that she was going to be so far away from him, unknowingly pregnant with his child terrified him.

As far as missions went, anything could happen or go wrong. Team Natsu, Lucy in particular, attracted trouble like a magnet.

She wouldn't know to be cautious of her condition. Her team wouldn't know not to roughhouse her too much.

And he wouldn't be there to protect her or her precious cargo in the instance that something happened.

But how would he tell her now? She was in the middle of the guild, about to leave. He couldn't just spring this on her right before a job. It wasn't fair to her.

Finally, Natsu showed up. Lucy blew the frustrated blonde a kiss from where she stood and then skipped out the doors with her team.

"You're seriously going to let her go off with the most destructive team in all of Fiore without telling her?"

Laxus started, broken out of his inner turmoil by an uncharacteristically serious Bickslow taking the chair next to him.

His totems were silent, as they usually were on the rare occasion the Seith mage had a serious conversation, and his usual tongued grin was nowhere to be seen, a frown in its place. This was such a rare occurrence, Laxus actually had to rub his eyes to make sure he was really seeing what sat beside him.

"What?" He managed to ask after getting over the mild shock to his system.

Bickslow shook his head and crossed his arms. "Let me lay this out as bluntly as I can for you, Laxus. As a Seith mage, I come across many different kinds of souls. It doesn't matter what kind of Seith mage they are, every single one of us recognizes the most important kind of soul there is. That would be the soul of an unborn baby. Their souls are a pure, _they_ are pure, and innocent. Completely untainted by anything." He moved the grate of his helmet and looked at him with hard eyes. "And right now, because you are too caught up in your own feelings, you are putting one of those souls at potential risk. When it comes down to it, ask yourself this: what is more important, the fact that you aren't ready to face this or your own baby's life and wellbeing?"

With that, the Seith mage stood up and stalked away, his totems trailing silently behind him.

Laxus sat there for all of a minute, the weight of his best friend's words growing heavier and heavier as time stretched on.

Without even a word of warning, the hulking blonde gathered his magic and teleported out of the guild, leaving a clap of thunder and shouting guild mates in his wake.

}{}{}{

In a matter of minutes, he was at the train station.

Ignoring the yelps of anger and surprise around him, he took off after the familiar scent of strawberries and cream.

Just as the blonde he was searching for was about to board the train with her team, Laxus snatched her by the wrist and tugged her back.

"Laxus!? What the hell are you doing here?" The startled Celestial mage shouted in surprise.

"I need to talk to you." He said, his tone conveying how serious he was.

She settled a little, but looked up to him in confusion. "Can't this wait? I'm going to miss the train."

"Oi, Laxus! Stall as much as you can. We can always walk there, right guys?" Natsu looked to his team with hopeful and desperate eyes.

Gray scoffed at his attempt and Erza placed a firm hand on the pinkette's shoulder before addressing Lucy. "We will be waiting for you on the train. It departs in ten minutes, so I suggest you make this quick."

Not giving anyone a chance to argue, mainly Natsu who was now pouting childishly, she dragged the Dragon Slayer across the platform and into the train with Gray at her heels.

When her team was gone, she turned to Laxus with an expression that read she expected answers and fast.

Taking a deep steadying breath, Laxus gently guided the petite blonde to sit with him on a nearby bench.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, starting to get worried by his odd behavior.

A voice shouted through his mind, sounding too much like Elfman for his liking, to _be a real man_ and get it over with.

"I wouldn't say that it's _wrong_. Just important that you know." He said, squaring his shoulders and meeting her eyes.

"Okay…"

Taking in a large breath and letting it all go in a rush, he dove in head first. "Have you noticed anything off about yourself lately? Health-wise?"

Lucy blinked for a moment, and he thanked whoever had blessed him with this woman. Instead of asking why or what he meant right away, she took the time to really ponder the question.

"Now that you mention it… I have been tiring easier during the day. And I'm hungry like _all_ of the time. And it's weird, because I missed my…oh. _Oh._ " Her eyes snapped back to his in sudden understanding. "I'm…"

Laxus nodded, reaching over to tuck a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"But how… how would you know this before even I did?" She asked, confusion evident in her features.

The Dragon Slayer rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I heard it, the heartbeat, two nights ago while you were sleeping. I just couldn't figure out how to tell you."

Lucy wasn't really listening anymore, though. Her chocolate eyes watered, and a hand rose from her lap to gently press against her lower abdomen. "You heard…"

A moment later, her watery gaze met his and even though he would never admit it to anyone, his eyes pricked with tears as well.

"We're going to be parents?" She asked, a serene smile playing at her pretty pink lips.

The train whistle blew and departed, but neither of them paid it any mind.

"Yeah, Blondie. I guess so." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest.

They sat there for a minute, until she asked a question he'd been wondering himself. "I don't get it, though. We always use protection. Even that one night should have been fine because of my birth control potion. It has an almost 100% effectiveness rate."

Laxus shrugged, his hand slipping down to join hers over where his, no _their_ , baby was growing.

"I have no idea."

}{}{}{

It was four months later that Lucy got the call via lacrima. The little potions shop where she used to purchase her birth control had accidentally shipped her an expired dose. They offered her compensation for any problems that they could have caused, but she'd declined. Maybe in a different point in her life, she would have been angry with their mistake.

But later that night, as she was lying in bed snuggled up to her Dragon slayer while he traced gentle shapes against her baby bump, she couldn't bring herself to care.

Their false sense of protection with that potion had given her something that meant more to her than anything in this world.

A little family to call her own.

 **Thank you to everyone who fav/followed/reviewed!**

 **I love you all!**

 **See y'all tomorrow for Summer!**


	6. Summer

**Sorry for how short this is. I haven't been feeling very good today, but I was determined to post something.**

 **Sick or not, I am too stubborn to fall behind.**

 **Who needs sleep?**

 **Day 5: Summer.**

The air was warm, the stars were bright, and every single night during the summer months, Laxus Dreyar strolled through Magnolia before heading home.

It was his favorite time of year.

His pace was slow and relaxed as he basked in the warm breeze, turning in to a part of town he never really explored.

' _I'm close to the guild. I must have gone in a big circle.'_ He thought to himself.

The Dragon Slayer was about to teleport himself to his home, when a familiar voice reached his sensitive ears.

"I told you no, Brandon. Let go of me right now, or you'll regret it."

"Blondie?" He whispered to himself.

"Don't be like that, babe. We had such a great time tonight. Are you really going to ruin it?"

The sleazy male's voice was one he didn't recognize, and he started walking towards the source almost immediately.

What he found made him see red.

The petite Celestial mage of Fairy Tail was forcefully being pressed against the side of an apartment building, her wrists retrained tightly above her head. The man responsible was an average sized fellow, and Laxus could smell the booze on him from where he stood.

"I don't know what date you were on tonight, but the one I attended sucked. I mean come on, you drank the entire time! Now let me go. This is your last warning."

Laxus hesitated, a bit curious to see what the little blonde would do if the man didn't heed her warning.

Sleazy guy chuckled, using his free hand to cup her ass and pull her closer. "Don't think you can do much without your keys. Didn't you say you left them at home because your key ring broke?"

Realizing that Lucy had no access to her magic, Laxus opened his mouth to demand her release when an annoyed sigh stopped him short.

"Well, you asked for it." She muttered.

And then head-butted him so hard he flew off of her, landing flat on his back on the cobblestone street.

The intoxicated man groaned in pain once before he was out cold.

His pants instantly became uncomfortably tight.

Gaping at the display, it took Laxus a few moments to realize he had been spotted.

Rubbing her now tender forehead, the blonde blinked at him. "Ok. Either Brandon's head was a lot harder than I thought and I've become delusional, or Laxus Dreyar is creeping in front of my apartment looking like a suffocating fish." She said mostly to herself.

Snapping out of his stupor, and ignoring the fish comment, Laxus stepped further into her line of sight. "Damn, Blondie. Didn't know you had something like that in you."

She let out a rather unladylike snort. "I think you're forgetting the team I am a part of. You kind of learn to 'have it in you' or else you better have your will in order."

He chuckled. "I can imagine."

Letting out a weary sigh, she massaged her temples. "No. You really don't." She looked back up at him, a curious gleam in her eyes. "Anyway, why are you out here this late at night?"

"Just walking. Summer nights are my favorite." He said a little sheepishly.

"Really? No way! I'm the same way." She chirped, looking pleasantly surprised.

Without even thinking twice about his actions, he offered her his arm. "Well then. Wanna join me?"

Before he could even begin to berate himself for doing something so stupid, she surprised him by looping her arm though his without hesitation.

"I would like that very much."

Neither of them thought to much about what they were doing, which direction they were going, or even that they'd left Brandon unconscious in front of her apartment.

They simply enjoyed the way the stars twinkled. The way the crickets and the tree frogs harmonized in silent streets around them. The way her head eventually came to rest against his shoulder, and how he'd wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her a little closer.

Neither spoke, they didn't have to. Just leisurely strolled through the warm summer night.

 **I'll try to make it up to you guys tomorrow for how short this was. I promise!**

 **I hope to see you all for Falling!**


	7. Falling

**Still not feeling the best. My hands are so stiff and swollen (Arthritis sucks).**

 **Gotta love being 21 and feeling like you're 83.**

 **Anyway, I did my best. It really hurts to type, but I am stubborn almost to a fault.**

 **Wanna know what else sucks? Trying to write while your brain whispers at you.**

 **I've told you all before how my brain likes to make things difficult. I managed to get 900 words into this prompt before I literally couldn't write anymore. In defeat, I deleted the whole damn thing and gave in.**

 **The words whispered?**

 **Write smut. Do it. Don't be a wimp. Smut. Smut. Smuuuuuuuut.**

 **This will be my very first lemon, so sorry if it sucks.**

 **Please be gentle..**

 **Day 6: Falling.**

He should have known that coming to the guild today would be a horrible idea.

Not only was Magnolia experiencing record breaking heat, the woman he'd constantly fantasized about was working the bar in Kinana's place for the day.

He'd heard the excited whispers. The perverted male members of Fairy Tail were absolutely thrilled at the aspect of the blonde bombshell serving them.

To beat the heat, Lucy Heartfilia was waltzing around in one of the shortest yellow miniskirts he'd ever seen along with a bright pink bikini top. The triangles of fabric struggled to contain her ample breasts and the entire ensemble showed off more skin than the Dragon Slayer could handle at the moment. Slender shoulders, cinched waist that led to deliciously flared hips, thick creamy thighs, and every movement exposed the bottom of her perky ass cheeks separated by the lace of her stark white thong.

Her golden locks had grown out over the years and now reached her waist were pulled into two low pigtails, creating an image of innocence that contrasted greatly with the raw _sexiness_ of the rest of her appearance.

The combination of everything, amplified by the fact that she was the star in almost every single wet dream he'd had since she'd joined the guild, left him with a semi-erect member throughout the entire day.

Laxus never took his eyes off her for more than a few minutes, and his team had long since given up on interacting with him, instead moving to a different table where his heated stare didn't make them feel uncomfortable.

Every once and while, she'd catch him watching her and send him a small smile, or his personal favorite, a playful wink.

It was nearing closing time, and he was considering leaving for the night when the world around him came to a standstill.

Leaning against the bar, Lucy was taking a break to help cool her overheated body.

Never once had Laxus envied a popsicle more than in that moment.

Plump, pretty pink lips closed around the frozen treat that disappeared inside of her sinful mouth. She slowly pulled it back out, and he nearly moaned as her little pink tongue poked out to gather the flavorful juices by gliding from bottom to top.

He had to physically tear his gaze from the image, pressing his palms hard against his closed eyes. His member now throbbed with painful need, pressing uncomfortably against his pants.

Time moved agonizingly slow as he tried desperately to will the evidence of his arousal away, when his sensitive ears picked up a conversation at the bar.

"Thanks for the help today, Lucy! Why don't you go collect Laxus's empty mug and head home?"

"Alright! It was no problem, Mira. I have no idea how you guys do all of this on your own." Lucy chirped, the sound of her footsteps growing closer.

"Shit." He muttered to himself, straightening in his seat and hoping to whatever god was out there that she didn't notice his reaction to her unintentional seduction.

She smiled sweetly at him as she grew nearer, and his heart stuttered a bit in his chest.

He knew this would be a slightly awkward conversation on his end, but he was not prepared for what happened next.

It all happened in slow motion to him. One dainty foot accidentally stepped on the back of her flimsy sandal as it was lifting to take another step forward. The thin material snapped easily, and her body went careening forward…

…falling face first into his lap.

A strangled groan tore from his throat without his consent as her hands pushed against his still aching member.

With curious innocence, he watched as she peered down to where her face had been moments before, searching for the hardness she had felt there.

At the pleasured grunt that left his lips when she adjusted her hands so that she could stand, the small blonde froze.

Eyes growing wide with sudden realization, her entire body flushed in mortification when she met his hooded gaze.

"Oh my…I'm so sorry I…I need to go…"She stuttered, ripping herself from his lap and exiting the guild so fast she was nothing but a blonde blur.

But there was no mistaking it, the heavy scent that followed her. It was like warm honey that mixed gloriously with her usual strawberries and cream fragrance.

Eyes darkening with the knowledge that touching him the way she had aroused her, he stood from his chair, determined to finish what she'd unknowingly started.

}{}{}{

Lucy had just made it through the door, when a heavy body was suddenly pressing her against the wall.

Before she could even make a sound of surprise, hot breath fanned against her ear, lodging the sound in her throat. "Did you really think I'd let you get too far after that little display?"

A shiver ran down her spine at the low, husky quality of his voice. "Laxus? What are you – oh god." Her voice trailed off into a low moan as his hot tongue licked a path down her neck before trailing back up to nibble on the lobe.

Heat pooled to her lower belly, further saturating her panties with fresh desire.

Almost instantaneously, large hands were gripping her ass and hoisting her up so that she instinctively wrapped her thighs around his hips, and the door was kicked shut.

His hands kneaded the firm globes, while hers found their way to tangle in his spikey blonde locks. Her grip tightened when pointed canines nipped at the sensitive spot below her ear, hips impulsively bucking as a low growl reverberated through her body.

He hissed at the delicious friction the heat of her thinly covered core grinding against his strained arousal created. "If you want to stop, now is the time to tell me. If we continue, we're seeing this through to the very end." He said, thrusting slightly to emphasize his meaning.

Dainty hands pulled his head so that they were gazing into each other's lust filled eyes. "Don't you dare stop." She commanded, and then her mouth was on his.

The kiss quickly became a heated battle of moans, tongues, and teeth.

He nipped at her lips and tightened his grip on her full backside as he blindly made his way to the pink bed in the far corner of the apartment.

Dropping her unceremoniously on the bed, she giggled as she bounced a few times, but sobered immediately at the sight of the Adonis of a man in front of her stripping down to his boxers.

Spotting the rather large tent in the undergarment, Lucy suddenly felt as though she was wearing too many clothes.

Never before had she felt such _need_.

Her sexual encounters were incredibly limited, only doing the actual deed twice. They felt nice, sure, but paled in comparison to the burning that flowed through her veins.

And they hadn't even gotten to the good part.

Laxus smirked at her blatant ogling, taking the opportunity to crawl over her on the mattress.

No words were exchanged as their mouths met once again, the heat between them building up so fast it left her desperate.

She broke the kiss, panting, rubbing wantonly against the hips settled against hers. "Please…"

His mouth trailed openmouthed kisses down her throat, untying the bow between her breasts with a single tug, and sucking the newly exposed rose-colored bud between his lips.

Arching into his mouth, she breathed his name.

"Tell me what you want, Blondie." He growled, shifting to nip at the neglected mound.

Lucy fought to form a coherent sentence, lost in the sensations he was creating.

When he received no response, his hand slid down her supple skin, pulling aside her lace panties to lightly stroke her slick folds.

Hips jerking into his touch, he smirked against her creamy skin. "Tell me."

Slim fingers grasped his hair, forcefully pulling his face to hers. "I want you to fuck me, Laxus."

And with that, his restraint shattered.

The sound of tearing fabric echoed in the dark room, her skirt and panties rendered useless scraps of fabric. Dainty feet hooked into the band of his boxers, sliding them down until her legs could go no further, and he kicked them off the rest of the way.

Lucy whimpered as his bare arousal slipped through her slick folds, coating the appendage in the natural lubricant her body was producing in spades.

Thick muscular arms slid under her shoulders, grasping her tightly to his chest.

Her legs wrapped around his tapered hips tightly, digging her heels into his firm cheeks in an effort to bring him closer.

Just as she opened her mouth to beg him to stop fooling around, he lined himself up at her entrance and buried himself fully with one hard snap of his hips.

Both blondes groaned simultaneously, and Laxus stilled for a moment, reveling at the way her walls clenched around him.

"D-damn, you're tight." He hissed, pulling out nearly all the way before thrusting forward sharply.

"Y-yes. Mmm…" She moaned, nails digging into his back as he set a grueling pace.

He attacked her mouth with his, pounding forcefully between her thighs, and all she could do was hold on for dear life as the cord coiled tighter and tighter inside of her.

Unfortunately for him, he had been sporting a hard-on for the majority of the day, and he felt his end nearing a lot sooner than he was proud of.

Reluctantly leaving her mouth, but determined to give her an experience she wouldn't soon forget, he slipped from her warmth to kneel on the bed.

A keening whine escaped her at the loss of contact, when large callused hands gripped her hips, pulling them up to enter her with one hard thrust.

The new angle drove him in deeper and she screamed his name as his tip kissed her cervix, the mix of pleasure and pain tightening the coil inside of her so tightly that she could hardly breathe.

Laxus grit his teeth as her walls fluttered around him, and he knew he had to work quickly.

Reaching a hand between them, he found her clit and started rubbing hard and fast circles over the sensitive nub.

The result was immediate.

Her body went rigid and she clamped down on him so tightly his eyes nearly rolled up into his skull.

"La…oh… _yes_ … _Laxus._ " She cried, undulating uncontrollably as she rode out her high.

Her walls milked him and his rhythm faltered before speeding up until he was pounding wildly into her constricting heat.

A pleasured groan left him as he gripped her hips tighter to him, burying himself to the hilt as he released.

He thrusted gently, still deep inside of her, as white hot pleasure ripped through his body.

When he finally came down from his bliss, smiling softly at her small moan as he slid his spent member out of her body, he collapsed next to her panting form.

"That was…" She trailed off, and he pulled her into his chest.

"Yeah." He chuckled, reaching down to pull the pink comforter over the both of them.

The petite blonde nuzzled into his chest with a content sigh.

"Remind me to fall face first into your boner more often."

Laxus grinned into her hair. _'Cheeky little shit.'_

 **Was it bad?**

 **It was bad, wasn't it?**

 **Oh well. Constructive criticism is welcome. How else does one learn?**

 **See you all tomorrow (Cough. Later today. Cough) for the final day of Laxus and Lucy ship week 2017!**


	8. My Body Hates Me

**Just posting a little note here for you all.**

 **The last prompt will be updated within the next few days! I pinky swear!**

 **My hands have gotten A LOT worse, and I have been unable to type for longer than a few minutes without wanting to cry from the pain.**

 **It's also traveled to my knees, feet/toes, hips, shoulders, and even elbows.**

 **Basically, all of me.**

 **Hopefully this will clear up some in the next day or so, as it usually doesn't flare up for very long in my case.**

 **So sorry that it will be late. I'm so mad that I posted on time all week until the very last day.**

 **Thank you all for your reviews/favs/follows. You all mean the world to me!**

 **Love, Lovely.**


	9. Father

**I am SO sorry this took so long to be updated. Life got super busy, and it finally just settled down in the last few days.**

 **I know this isn't what I said it would be, but it's something. It's been killing me to know that I still haven't completed this and I had to just post something for my own sanity (what's left of it lol).**

 **Anyway, without further ado, I give you all my last post for Laxus and Lucy Ship Week 2017!**

 **Day 7: Father.**

Laxus sighed into his whiskey before taking a rather large sip.

The Raijinshu had just finished a week long mission and were leaving on the first train in the morning. He knew he should be getting some rest in preparation for the hours he'd be spending suffering from motion sickness, but he just couldn't sleep.

He had too much on his mind.

This would be the last job he would be taking for quite a while.

At thirty-three weeks pregnant, his wife was growing closer and closer to her due date.

The doctor had informed them that they wanted to deliver the twins a bit earlier to prevent any possible complications, so in reality there was only three weeks left. If they didn't come sooner. Which they could. Lucy had been in and out of the hospital because she had gone into preterm labor at twenty-eight weeks, and had been placed on bedrest ever since. They had even given her steroid injections to speed up the twin's lung development in case they came too early. The hope was, that they would 'keep cooking' for at least another week.

In all, Laxus hated being away from Lucy for so long. He wanted to be home, making sure she was comfortable, helping her to the bathroom, and over-all just being with her.

He loved just being near her, and now that she was giving him children to call his own he loved her even more.

But he was scared, no terrified.

What if they came while he was gone? What if their lungs still weren't developed enough? What if they lost one of them?

The questions were endless, and being so far away was only making it worse.

Just as Laxus nodded his thanks to the bartender for his refreshed drink, he caught a scent that made his entire body tense in anticipation and disbelief.

Moments later, the person attached to the scent sat down in the stool next to him with a heavy sigh and called out to the bartender for a mug of ale.

The tension in the air was so thick, one could almost taste it. Other patrons seemed to sense it and gave the two a wide berth in case things went wrong.

The two men sat in silence for what felt like hours, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Laxus studied the man as best as he could from the corner of his eye, and he knew the other man was doing the same.

He looked only a little different from the last time Laxus had seen him all those years ago. His hairline had receded a bit more, and the signs of aging had become more apparent.

Finally, the other man broke the silence.

"Son."

The Dragon Slayer turned stiffly in his seat to face him. "Why the fuck are you here?"

The man scoffed, placing a hand on his chest in mock hurt. "Ouch. Is that any way to greet your father after all this time?"

"You are no father of mine, Ivan." Laxus sneered.

Ivan was quiet after that, simply studying his son. His black eyes focused on his hand, and his bushy brows rose.

"Don't tell me, you tied the knot?" He leaned closer with a teasing smile, as if there was no tension at all and they were old pals. "So, who was it that snagged your heart? Do I know of her?"

Gritting his teeth, Laxus leaned away from him, taking a generous swig of his whiskey. "That's none of your business."

Really, all Laxus wanted to do was beat the man beside him into a bloody unrecognizable mess. But he didn't exactly need that kind of a battle the night before he was to return home to his wife. He may have beaten his father and his guild once before, but that didn't mean that Ivan hadn't come prepared this time. There was too much of a risk, as there was no way of knowing what tricks Ivan had up his sleeve.

So he would try to remain somewhat civil, see what the hell the bastard wanted, and be on his merry way. Gramps would want to hear about this, know his son's latest location, and he made a mental note to call him in the morning.

"Lucy Heartfilia, am I correct?" Ivan suddenly said, and every muscle inside of his large body tensed almost to the point of pain.

"How…"

Ivan waved him off, his posture relaxed as he nursed his drink. "Oh stop that, this is a casual visit. Relax and have a drink with your old man."

Neither of them said anything for a while after that, Ivan smiling at him in a way that made his teeth grit together.

"Now, from what I've heard from my source, I'm going to become a grandfather soon. So tell me, is it a boy or a girl?"

Laxus didn't respond, glaring at him and internally daring him to threaten his family.

Ivan sighed, shoulders slumping and demeanor changing in a way that made Laxus pause in his rage, albeit hesitantly.

"Look, so-Laxus. My only intentions here tonight were to simply talk to you and learn about what is happening in your life." He took a long sip of his ale before turning to look Laxus in the eye, his gaze filled with a sadness and longing that the Dragon Slayer didn't understand.

The blonde's shoulders relaxed without his permission, and he was suddenly brought back to when he was a child. When he wanted nothing more than to see his father's love. To see his father actually give two shits about him. It seemed now that he was finally getting what he wanted, but he knew it had to be too good to be true.

"Pretend what you're saying is true, why now? After everything you put Gramps through? After what you've done to me? To Fairy Tail? Why do miraculously care now, and most importantly why should I care?" The blonde demanded, his eyes hard and angry.

"I'm dying, son."

Perhaps he should feel concerned over the fact that he didn't feel saddened by this news. He hardly knew this man, other than the pain he had inflicted on himself and his family. Only a small part of him felt any sort of sympathy.

They sat in silence once again, the words hanging heavy in the air around them, before Laxus slapped the Jewel he owed down on the bar, stood, and made his way out of the establishment.

Before he got too far however, he glanced over his shoulder at the man slumped dejectedly at the bar and sighed. He really had become softer after being with Lucy for so long.

"Twins." He grunted.

Ivan's head whipped around to look at his grown boy, stunned. "What?"

"Lucy and I are having twins. Boys, due at any time now."

Without waiting for his father's response, Laxus left the bar and walked to his room, deep in thought. It wasn't that he felt as though his deadbeat old man deserved to know about the twins, only that something deep inside him told him it was the right thing to do. And he left it at that, not wanting to add the stress of trying to figure that one out, on top of everything else that was going on in his life.

He didn't see the sad smile that spread a crossed Ivan's face, or the tears that streamed down his cheeks.

Nor did he hear the words his father whispered hours later as he laid in his own bed.

"Thank you, son. You'll be a far greater father than I could have ever hoped to be…"

 **Aaaaaaand it's done. Super late, kind of short, but it's done.**

 **Fun fact: Lucy's pregnancy issues with her twins were actually my issues when I was pregnant with my twin boys. The pregnancy was hell, I was constantly in pain, and ended up having a cesarean section at 34 weeks. They spent 3 weeks in the NICU with breathing and feeding tubes.**

 **I had to share this, because they just turned 3 years old on April 8** **th** **! I love my redheaded blue-eyed boys, and all that pain was worth it.**

 **This concludes Laxus and Lucy Ship Week 2017! It was my first time participating in a ship week, and I loved it. Let's just hope that the next time I try it, I don't wait so long to finish it, eh?**

 **A big thank you (and hugs) to all of you who fav/followed/reviewed this, and supported and encouraged me throughout the whole thing. I can guarantee you that I would not be the writer that I am, if I didn't have all of you rooting for me!**

 *******Announcement*******

 **Updates on all of my other stories should resume shortly! Thank you all for waiting patiently, and I'll see you then.**

 **Much love, Lovely.**


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